Phantom Isle - The Haunted Theme Park

[Thrain]

Phantom Isle
The Haunted Theme Park

The Park

Areas:
Fortune Teller's Tent: Situated in the shadows cast by the majestic circus tent is a much smaller tent which once housed a mystical woman who was said to have powers beyond that of a regular human, being able to see not only into the past, but also into the future. She passed away not too long before the closure of the theme park but nobody thought anything of it, since she was getting on in years. Today, there is still a light coming from her tent, so could it be she still lingers in the theme park, waiting for her next customer?

Profile

"Geez, Blaze, we're lost," Eric announced to his Growlithe companion. They had been wandering throughout the massive theme park for hours now, looking for the Fortune Teller's Tent. Ever since he had arrived at Phantom Isle, Eric had been adamant about the possibility of having his very own fortune revealed. He wondered constantly what it would be like to know the future, eagerly awaiting for this trip to the mysterious fortune teller. Rumors had popped up in the past few years saying that the mystic who read the fortunes had passed on, but equally convincing stories had also stated that the attraction was still in business. Either way, lights could be seen from the tent at night, and Eric was bent on unearthing the mystery that plagued this portion of the park. But he had to find it first...

Sighing in exasperation, Eric spun around after hitting another dead-end road, all the while looking for any sort of sign to point him in the right direction. Blaze kept at his heels, sniffing the ground for any unusual oddities. Despite the electric lights emanating off the many attractions of the park, Eric had to admit that this section of Phantom Isle was pretty creepy. Heck, all of it was creepy. Spirits and ghosts were known to inhabit the area, although Eric had not run into anything ethereal... yet.

At the next intersection in the road, Eric did a double take. There, right across the street, next to a massive circus big-top, stood a tiny, dingy tent. Patches of different pieces of cloth were wound together to form the structure, giving it a unique flair. Over the entrance to the tent hung a small sign: "FORTUNE TELLER -- DELVE INTO THE MYSTERIES OF THE BEYOND." He had just passed by this intersection a few minutes ago, and could have sworn that the tent hadn't been there. The hair on his arms rose slightly as a weird, sinking sensation blossomed in his stomach: fear.

Gulping down a sudden fit of nerves, Eric called Blaze over. They had finally found it, and, although he was a little excited, he couldn't help but hold the feeling that something wasn't right here. Suddenly tense, Eric took a few steps and pushed the tent's cloth door aside...

[Itzatrap]

Itzatrap- Rob can't help but feel betrayed by the fuzzy-cheeked deceiver, whose promise to show Rob and Melantha where he received his earring has lead to this high-flying prison without a single jewel in sight. Though Rob is rightfully enraged at the Patrat, he remains focused, maintaining an outward smile and an inward resolution to somehow find his way out of this mess. As the disembodied voice explains their first task, Rob and Melantha both try to set their feelings of helplessness aside as they attempt to reason through the puzzle presented to them. After all, if the pair played along with this mysterious "research," perhaps they would later find an opportunity to figure out exactly what is going on.

After some thought, Rob chooses the Pokeball with the lightning symbol, and announces his choice to whoever may be watching. The disembodied voice rings through his head promptly after Rob makes his decision. That is your choice? Very well. The Pokeball bursts open with incredible force, as the activation buttons on the other two Pokeballs disappear completely. Rob and Melantha watch in awe as a pure, white light breaks forth from the ball, which forms the silhouette of a monkey-like Pokemon... as the light condenses and takes shape, it becomes clear to Rob and Melantha that this "Pokemon" is actually a hologram of a Panpour. In fact, the curious Melantha finds her paw going right through the image of the creature. Its cry of "Pan Pan," however, sounds surprisingly realistic. As if to demonstrate to Rob that this image is more than just a pretty face, the Panpour unleashes a Water Gun At the opposite wall, which seems to leave real water behind.

It seems as if you have discovered the Pokeball of one of our laboratory monkeys. Good show! The disembodied voice laughs. Of course, you have not completed the task at hand yet. As I said before, all three of these Pokeballs are labeled improperly. Take your time and let us know when you have provided what you believe to be the correct labels. The energetic hologram of Panpour gives Rob a big smile, and as if to further demonstrate the task (as well as its ability to manipulate objects in the real world), the Panpour removes the lightning bolt from its Pokeball and places it in Rob's hand, looking up at the trainer expectantly.

How will Rob and Melantha react?

That is your choice? Very well, the voice inside their heads said, just as the ball released a light, taking the shape of a familiar blue simian Rob knew from back home. Melantha could only look at the Panpour in amazement, trying to touch it with her paw, unable to actually touch it. "Huh, it's a hologram." the trainer thought to himself, but it then spoke, "Pan Pan," confusing the trainer and Pokémon as it appeared to sound as real as they were, before spitting out a Water Gun attack on the wall. "It looks so real! I wonder how they do that...", and it seemed that was exactly what Melantha was thinking herself as she suspiciously eyed the Panpour.

It seems as if you have discovered the Pokeball of one of our laboratory monkeys. Good show! The voice inside their heads laughs. Of course, you have not completed the task at hand yet. As I said before, all three of these Pokeballs are labeled improperly. Take your time and let us know when you have provided what you believe to be the correct labels. The Panpour gave Rob a smile, before touching..."What?" the trainer said to himself, completely dumbfounded by the Panpour's ability to remove the lightning symbol and placing it on his hand. "Haha." the trainer chuckled nervously, "Thanks!" Melantha looked just as confused and amazed by the Panpour as Rob, not believing her eyes. How could a hologram possibly do that? Unless it wasn't really a hologram...

"We'll figure this out later, let's focus on the task at hand shall we Melantha?" Melantha nods, though she is still completely focused on the Panpour's "image". "Okay, okay. Recap. What do we know?" Melantha ponders at her trainer's question. "All of the symbols are in the wrong Pokéballs, and that the lightning one houses a water type. The water one belongs on the thunder symbol. That means that the one with both the bolt and water one is also wrong. Which must mean it goes in the lightning one since they are all wrong, right?" Melantha nods in agreement, although it seems she got lost somewhere in the middle of her trainer's explanation. "So that leaves the last one in the water, it belong in the bolt and water one since that Pokéball is the only left." Melantha nods excitedly, still trying to catch up to her trainer's reasoning.

"Okay, so the water symbol goes on what was initially the lightning Pokéball, the lightning/water symbol goes on the water Pokéball, and the lightning symbol goes on the lightning/water Pokéball. Let's start switching the magnets, shall we?"

[MarbleZone]

MarbleZone - Having changed both their outfits and their names, Levin and Crix truly feel as if they have transformed into Wallace Dornez of House Hellsinger and Crixus the Undefeated now that they are looking sharp and feeling good about having passed their first test. Fortunately, the pair do not have to wait long before they hear a knock on the dressing room door. The knock is followed by the entrance of a ghostly man with a blue tuxedo and top-hat, designed to vaguely resemble the anatomy of a male Jellicent. The ghostly man, whose ice-blue eyes focus immediately on Levin Wallace Dornez of House Hellsinger, seems a little shocked at the pair that stands before him.

"Live ones, huh...?" Oceanus frowns, closing in on the pair and taking it upon himself to straighten Wallace and Crixus' ties. "Y'know, I was a live one, too. Oceanus is only a stage name... Ruby made me take one. I'm sure he made you take one, too. Got through two talent shows without a scratch. The pay was like nothin' you'd see in a mortal gig. I got too greedy, went for a third... Accidently referred to Lady Aedre as Lady Adreanna. She had me for lunch... literally." Oceanus grins harshly, brushing a bit of stray hair off of Wallace's shoulder. "Stand up straight! No slouching. Anyway, I still get decent pay, but now I'm stuck here in the Hotel as a permanent resident... You ever see my wife, tell her I say hello, all right?" Oceanus laughs. "Heh... What am I saying? Don't wanna give you any false hope now, but we'll see what we can do with you."

After thoroughly inspecting everyone's uniforms once more and barking out a few more orders about pristine posture and maintaining a joyful, yet reserved expression, Oceanus leads the new hires back into the theatre, through a maze of doors and corridors, and up a flight of pristine ivory stairs, which lead to the Luxury Box reserved for the regal Jellicent. The balcony itself is decked out in gorgeous royal blue velvet, embroidered with images of beautiful, serene Phione and Manaphy, and everything from the mahogany chairs to the gold cords draping from the curtains suggests that Ruby spared no expense making these seats absolutely perfect for its intended guests. At the far end of this exclusive seating area is a door labeled "Dining Room." Muffled sounds can be heard from behind the door, though this doesn't seem to phase Oceanus.

"The guests up here will likely arrive early to socialize. Dinner will be served at 6:00, and the show will begin at 7. What time is it n- S**T!" Oceanus, who had previously been checking his watch, reels back as if there was a giant, bloodthirsty Spinarak on his arm. "We don't have much time. Quickly, straighten up! Remember what I told you... Service with a smile, and if they ever get upset, a string of apologies and groveling is all you have between you and certain death." A strange, ghostly laughter echoes from just outside the Luxury Box, which causes Oceanus to visibly shudder. He turns quickly towards the source of the sound, and immediately plasters on a fake smile. "Oh, Arce- Hel-LO Lady Aedre! So good to see you again."

As if on cue, a pink Jellicent with a sparkling lavender cape floats through the wall of the Luxury Box, interrupting Wallace's conversation with Oceanus. The ghostly butler immediately takes the creature's cape and hangs it on a large golden rack, and gives her a deep, respectful bow. He also motions for Wallace and Crixus to do the same.

"My Lady, Ruby has brought-"

"Appetizers? Oh, I daresay these two will not do at all! HMPH." The Jellicent floats over with a surprising amount of speed to Wallace with an irritated look, wrapping her tentacles tightly around him before he can even react. "Why, I could eat this one myself... One gulp. Oh, do not squirm, my lovely, it will all be over soo-"

"LADY AEDRE, he is one of the wait staff!" Oceanus catches himself before his scream becomes too disrespectful; thankfully, the Jellicent immediately gets the message lets go, blushing a bit as she does.

"Oh, you should have told me! Embarrassing me in front of the hired help... Why, I could eat you all over again, dearest~! Dreadful to me as always... but you know how I love you, Oceanus. I could never forget a delicious man such as yourself..." Lady Aedre licks her lips, her face overcome with a rather disturbing expression. Oceanus laughs nervously, though he does a rather terrible job at hiding his discomfort. Even more discomforting is the fact that Lady Aedre notices this... and smiles in a way that suggests that she enjoys watching him squirm.

"Such a charmer, Lady Aedre... I am sure that all is forgiven, right?" Oceanus turns to Wallace and gives him a stern look. Lady Aedre also turns to the only living human in the room, but her face softens considerably as she looks at him.

"Oh, yes. I do apologize, Sir... Oh, what is your name? Surely, you must tell me about yourself! I do so love interesting people... There is absolutely nothing worse than being bored." Lady Aedre sits down in one of the seats, crossing her tentacles as if they were legs, and motions to the seat next to her before beckoning Wallace. "I detest boredom more than anything else in the world. Ah, but you will not bore me, will you? If not, I will have to cut the tongue from your mouth and hope it tastes more interesting than the stories it tells, hehe~!" Though Lady Aedre laughs, Wallace senses that this creature is incredibly serious with her threats. After all, wasn't this the Jellicent that ate Oceanus simply for getting her name wrong...?

How will Wallace/Levin react?

Keep calm, keep your composure… Keep your… Oh my God I’m gonna die, she’s gonna EAT me, OH MY GOOOO…. Oh. Oh, I’m alive. I’m not d… I’m… I’m breathing… For now.

He hadn’t known poor, not-so-living Oceanus for more than ten minutes and he already owed him his own life. What kind of monster was this Jellicent?!

He couldn’t show it, most definitely not now, but his hands were probably trembling uncontrollably, as most of his body, he reckoned. He wouldn’t know, he’d lost all feeling during his near-death experience and it was sure taking its sweet time coming back. All he allowed himself to do was to take a deep breath and sigh – he wasn’t going to try and fool Aedre that he wasn’t scared, that would be pointless, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to keep his composure.

He needed to reassess the situation; he had to be back in control. He was almost eaten alive by a female Jellicent, but he was still here, and everyone expected him to do or say something. Oceanus seemed to be nearing the end of his string of apologies, and soon it’d be his turn to talk eloquently and be flawless and everything. It wasn’t so much keeping his own role of glorified suck-up that worried him, but how much decorum and politeness Crix could take before blowing his top. He looked at his Elekid discreetly… and was astonished.

Crix wasn’t just playing his Crixus, the Undefeated Elekid role to perfection… he’d taken a step back and stuck as close as possible to Levin’s leg, not taking his eyes off of Jellicent for one second with a look of fear and anticipation. It was the first time that anything triggered this kind of reaction from the spunky Electric-Type; either he was maturing and learning to keep his fighting spirit in check, or there was something even more terrifying about the creature before them than Levin had sensed… and that terrified him.


In any event, Oceanus – Levin’s only hope of surviving the ordeal that was pleasing Lady Aedre, and a friend-by-circumstance that he’d do well to keep around for now – was done talking, and whatever he did seemed to work; at least he was still there and didn’t seem to be in ungodly amounts of pain.

"Oh, yes. I do apologize, Sir... Oh, what is your name? Surely, you must tell me about yourself! I do so love interesting people... There is absolutely nothing worse than being bored."

That was his cue. He had escaped Ruby’s wrath relying exclusively on his prized silver tongue, and yet again it was required. But when Levin stepped forward to answer, he realized words weren’t coming out.

The pink, plump Jellicent with lady-like mannerisms had taken a seat and motioned for Wallace and Crixus to join her and entertain her. It was nothing like Ruby’s previous face-to-face, succeed-or-die approach earlier, but this time around Levin found it so much harder to find the right words… Why?!

Why? Because he was nobody, and as such had nothing to tell. Lady Aedre had probably lived for hundreds of years, heard and seen things that he couldn’t even make up. What could he, an unremarkable kid with an uneventful life, have to share that would meet such high standards?

But it’s not me she wants… She wants the guy in a tuxedo that is here to serve her as butler and entertainer. She doesn’t want Levin, she wants Wallace. He took another deep breath, sat on the chair next to Aedre and turned to face her.

- My lady, allow me to start by saying it is an nonour to serve you tonight. I am Wallace Dornez of House Helsinger, and this is Crixus, the Undefeated Elekid. I can already tell you are a much more charming patron than my former employer, a rather unrefined Dusknoir from Mt. Pyre… Dear me, I remember that time when he complained about eating souls of lawyers and politicians every day, and how he preferred something more substantial like a hiker or a truck driver for a change! I kept telling him how those were food for lower ghosts, but he just wouldn’t listen!

Where was this stuff coming from? He knew adrenaline made him talk more, but this was ridiculous even by his standards… But if words were finally flowing now, why was a voice in the back of his head telling him this was the wrong approach?

What’s different this time around? Why am I unsure of what I’m saying? This didn’t happen with Ruby… Sure, I was scared to death, but I was confident in what I said. But now… why can’t I talk to her with the same certainty? Wait… “her”… That’s it!

He couldn’t be sure, but something hit him. He had met people – living people, but that was irrelevant – like Lady Aedre before. It didn’t matter how fantastical Levin made his stories, that wasn’t what she really wanted to hear. No, the thing that got her off, beneath the etiquette and the noble elegance, was listening to herself. He could be wrong, but he’d give it a shot.

- But Lady Aedre, why bore you with my trivial tales? I beg of you, please tell me more about yourself! I was not informed of whom I’d be serving tonight, an unfortunate oversight I’m sure, but I can already tell you possess an enviable education and unmatched finesse! Please, let me know more about the mysterious Lady Aedre, so that I may boast over my good fortune to my acquaintances over our next game of bridge! Have you always been here in Phantom Island?

If he sensed she was on to him, he’d try to make something else up to keep the conversation going; but if he was right, she could even entertain herself long enough for the show to start, and then he’d have some room to breathe… He hoped.

[Marion Ette]

((Since one of our PI updaters has been declared inactive, I am officially welcoming kaisap and Emp into my group. I hope you both continue to have a great time in Phantom Isle~!))

kaisap112, tau- ((Since you are both in my first official joint adventure, I just want to mention a couple of things:

-Two attacks per Pokemon per round are permitted in battles where both of you are participating. If only one individual is participating in battle, he or she may order up to three attacks per Pokemon per round.

-If one of you has responded to an update and the other has not, the person who responded will have to wait for the other person to respond before both you will be included in the next update. If one of you goes inactive or will be missing for a certain amount of time, it will be your responsibility to inform both me and your adventure buddy of your absence. I don't see this being a problem with you guys, but I figure I might as well through that one out there.

-Try to utilize interaction as much as possible. That's what makes joint adventuring fun~!

So, without further ado, let's get this adventure going, shall we?))

A crew of normal Pokemon (well... normal TYPE, anyhow) and their young trainers run toward Salty Sam's Pirate Ship, creating quite the distinctive lineup. Leading the pack is a furry, striped bandit named Nook, who approaches the attraction at full-speed upon noticing a shiny object that would be perfect for his collection. Close behind is Banzai, an energetic Meowth who bounds behind Nook, hoping that the Zigzagoon has spotted something that will lead to an exciting aventure, full of interesting things to do. Their trainer, Quinn, follows close behind, dragging his female partner, Noriko, who appears decidedly less enthusiastic about the amusement park ride than the companions ahead of her. Atop her head, Kitty the Skitty is having no part in this race to the attraction, lounging lazily as her trainer does the traveling for her. The young woman, Noriko, moodily thinks to herself that this is going to be a loooong trip, but fortunately for her, the trip to Salty Sam's is relatively short, especially considering the near-endless supply of energy that Quinn and his Pokemon seem to have.

The lobby for Salty Sam's, unlike most of the amusement park rides, is completely outdoors, and is mostly comprised of the typical, winding line found at must amusement park rides, demarcated by metal poles with ribbon between them. On either side of the line are various statues of water Pokemon dressed to look like pirates: a pirate Charizard guards a pile of gold coins and plastic human pirate bones, while a Pirate Scyther brandishes his blades like swords at a Pirate Blastoise, whose cannons are aimed at the Scyther. Posters advertise Salty Sam and his swashbuckling Pokemon, who sail the seven seas with nary a care. Salty Sam himself is depicted in one of the statues as having a long, weathered black beard, a crooked grin and a formidable pirate hat and coat, complete with obligatory peg-leg and hook-hand. Noriko and Quinn can't shake the feeling that the statue of Salty Sam is somehow looking at them...

Meanwhile, Nook, who is at the head of the pack, easily scurries under the ropes (with Banzai following close behind), and heads right for the shiny object he saw from afar; even in the darkness, the group can see the gleam of some sort of large coin that appears to have been dropped in the middle of the line. Before Nook can take the shiny of his dreams, however, a Murkrow swoops down and snatches the golden object away before the poor Zigzagoon can so much as sniff it; as if to add insult to injury, the Murkrow follows up on this nasty thievery by Pecking poor Nook on the head! The Zigzagoon howls in pain as the Murkrow flies off, vanishing into the darkness.

The pair of trainers has a few options. They could try to help Nook search for the Murkrow that took his shiny, or they could try and take a look around the attraction and find another shiny to replace it. After all, a coin that big isn't likely to be real... or is it?

How will Quinn and Noriko react?



Balmund- Balmund recalls Durandal to his pokeball, allowing him to rest after his stunning victory and convincing "performance". In a move that both saves time and completely amazes the crowd around him, the dragon tamer calls out an impressive fossil Pokemon, which immediately elicits cheers, oohs and aahs from the crowd still gathered. Aerodactyls have always been incredibly rare, especially in the time period in which Balmund and William find themselves due to the fact that DNA extraction and fossil revival was even more expensive comparatively, and the sight of a long-extinct prehistoric creature is just the right finale to their show. William's awestruck expression clearly reveals his excitement upon seeing such a rare and powerful creature; even the proud Averil stares at Kurth with mouth agape in clear awe and amazement. "Holy s**t," is all William manages to utter before snapping himself out of his bewilderment long enough to give Averil a quick pat on the nose, recall her back to her pokeball and join Balmund in mounting Kurth for what promises to be an exciting flight. Though Kurthnaga is hoping for the adrenaline rush of battle to get his blood pumping, Balmund shouts to his Pokemon that there is no time to explain, and he needs to Fly the two men away immediately. Kurth nods in deference to his trainer's wishes, and takes off with incredible speed and power, much to the delight of the parkgoers who wave and clap in an appreciative goodbye.

"Where th'Hell did you find an AERODACTYL, Duke? This is f*****g incredible!! I bet you get all the ladies with this bad boy at your side," William exclaims with an invigorated laugh as Kurth climbs up, up, up... high in the sky. "Remember to tell 'im to go right to the Ghost Train. The sooner we cut them off, the better. Well, cut us off would be the better way t'say it... I'm tryin' to find myself, and not in the crappy self-help book way, either." The weathered ex-gangster takes a deep breath. "I gotta come clean with you, Duke. Today... today is about t'become the worst day of my life. I have revisited these moments so many times in my memory, it's like all these years have passed, and yet I never got out of here. I never left this f*****g park." William's eyes burn with resolution. "We're rewriting the story of that day, Duke. I'm already liking this version better. Plus, I always wanted t' ride an Aerodactyl... Guess that's one life goal down, huh?"

William carefully balances himself on Kurthnaga in order to reach into his backpack; after some moments of searching, he pulls out a weathered photograph of a tough-looking young man with a giant grin on his face, giving a little black-haired girl no older than four or five a piggyback ride. The girl's own grin appears to be a smaller version of the man's, and she clings to him as a only a daughter would. William hands the photograph to Balmund, and he immediately realizes that the young man in the picture is a younger version of William himself. "These are our targets," William says with a dark grin. "A stupid man and his lovely daughter. We have to prevent the stupid man from letting his daughter onto that Ghost Train by any means necessary." William chuckles a bit. "My first plan was to run at my former self screamin', 'DON'T DO THIS! I AM FROM THE FUTURE,' but considering how fast the damn minions managed to find us, even when we WEREN'T drawing attention to ourselves, I'm thinkin' twice about that one..."

After a long pause, William locks eyes with Balmund.. "It's clear to me that you know how to lie... Don't take it like I'm makin' a moral judgment or anythin' like that, but you sure as Hell convinced those audience members that you were a real performer. I think what we might need is a brilliant lie... Somethin' to get my lil' gal Kaida off that train. F**k, I'll straight-up kidnap her if I have to... I don't care what young William does to me. It would be worth it." William shakes his head, his body visibly shaking with emotion, much as William tries to hide it in his expression. "That said... Maybe you got some ideas, Duke."

The Ghost Train attraction looms in the distance, though it is clear that Kurthnaga is quickly closing in. One hour and twenty five minutes remain until the train leaves the Main Station.

How does Balmund respond?



Meetan- As if Alice's phobia of fire types wasn't bad enough, coming inches away from being mauled by a Houndoom most assuredly made that now semi-rational fear worse! Even so, Alice knew that she needed to strengthen the bond she has with her Torchic, despite his typing. After all, unlike the vicious Houndoom, Torchic was kind and loyal to his trainer, even so far as to be considered her "cheerleader" of sorts. Perhaps as if to validate to herself that not all fire types are worthy of fear, Alice immediately calls out her Torchic to deal with the Purrloin while Rapid viciously beats on the Houndoom that dare attack her new best friend. "Mongrel, yer' gonna be beggin' for scraps in HELL!" She screams, STOMPing the Houndoom into submission. As Rapid knocks the Houndoom out of commission, more howls can be heard in the distance... Rapid immediately stands guard, wordlessly communicating to Alice that she will deal with the other Houndoom while Alice battles the Liepard.

Liepard begins the battle by Growling ominously at the Torchic; while the move is certainly intimidating, Torchic refuses to back down. He Focuses his Energy to begin the battle, pumping up for his next attack. Liepard, seeing how the Torchic is focusing, counters with a Sand Attack in order to foil the little chick Pokemon's plan for a critical hit. Torchic cries out as the sand burns his eyes, and flaps his wings wildly in the moment of disorientation, but quickly composes himself and refocuses. His Agility gives him a major speed boost, but the Liepard is quick to Torment him. She says something in Liepard equivalent to, "HAH, still not attacking? What a chicken! I bet those are the only moves you know." Falling for the torment in a manner similar to Swinub in his fight with the Purrloin, Torchic puffs out his chest and chirps that he will prove just how well-trained he is! Alice has a feeling that he will reject any attempts to repeat the same move twice... probably for about 3 rounds. Both Pokemon are still at full health; Torchic is looking fast and focused, but he is currently blinded by the sand.

Two Houndoom jump out of the bushes at Rapid, but she is quick to react to them both. Their battle rages on, and it seems as if Rapid is impervious to damage... Her metal body serves as a strong armor against the Houndooms' claws and fangs. As she STOMPs her heart out, Alice can't help but wonder if that's the only move that the mechanical Rapidash knows...

What will Alice and Torchic do?



Dark Searchman- The Frillish nod and agree to provide backup, while Delilah does her best to psych herself up for the upcoming battle, attempting to regain as much energy as she can. Hyrem is keenly aware that he does not have the time to be poking around the Harvester's Lair like an old man in an antique shop, so he quickly settles in his mind that energy-restoring items for Delilah are top priority. One of the backpacks seems to be filled with berries, which immediately catches Hyrem's eye... Though most of the berries have rotted or lack any sort of healing property, Hyrem does manage to find a Sitrus Berry and an Oran Berry that are in fairly good shape. Hyrem pauses for a moment to look at the tag on the backpack, complete with photo ID... A little girl with a farmer's hat and a missing tooth in her wide grin looks back at Hyrem with eyes that are strangely familiar. Hyrem immediately shudders and drops the tag, trying not to think about whether or not her eyes matched a pair that Delilah fried back at the entrance. Fortunately, Hyrem is immediately distracted by his morbid thoughts; unfortunately, said distraction is an ominous movement from the large, shadowy object in the center of the room. A familiar voice echoes from the object:

"It seems as if the Frillish I gave you has indeed been useful... far too useful for my liking." An ominous cackle emanates from the shadow, which Hyrem can now make out to be a floating Mantine costume. "He was supposed to lead you to your death... stupid, frightened little thing... but I clearly underestimated his bravery." The Shadow moves closer to Hyrem, and the eyes from the walls begin shivering and detaching from the wall... They zoom towards the Mantine-like being, sticking to her felt exterior, dotting the costume like some sort of horrific accessory. Delilah immediately unleashes Flash at the Mantine, which seems to blind and disorient the eyes for the moment. "Mantine" uses her turn to continue speaking; "To see what your eyes have seen... To view this beautiful world from thousands of perspectives... That is my dream, my vision. Knowledge demands sacrifice! You fools have no IDEA what I've sacrificed! So dreadfully self-important, thinking your single, isolated existence is worth a DAMN! The collective... Oh, what we can do with the collective... All the sights of the world, seen by one being! If only you knew the value of this endeavor..."

The Frillish sneak through the shadows, hoping to land a sneak attack on the distracted "Mantine". Delilah, clearly demonstrating her disagreement with the insane "Mantine," unleashes a Confuse Ray; unfortunately, since the eyes are already blind, they are not affected by the additional ray of light. The Mantine herself, however, shines her black costume eyes toward Delilah. "INSOLENT FOOL," she shrieks, and all of the eyes together focus a Mean Look so powerful that Delilah is riveted to the very spot that she floats. Undeterred, she fires out a Thunder Wave, which makes contact with the tip of "Mantine's" left fin and spreads across at least 75% of the eyes on her body, making them both blind and paralyzed. "You think you can cripple me... but you're foolish to even try. Give up this foolish crusade, Hyrem... Yes, I can already see that beautiful, short life of yours, albeit dimly... Give up the trappings of consciousness, and become part of an expanse of knowledge that will change the world. With our sight, we will look upon the face of immortality."

As "Mantine" utters her final sentence, visions begin to flood Hyrem's mind; memories that belonged to other trainers, even other Pokemon, pass before Hyrem's eyes. A span of at least twenty years is captured by this multitude of memories. He suddenly feels as if he knows so much about the world... more than any one lifetime could provide. These lifetimes all connect, like pieces of a puzzle, in so many different ways. Hyrem is tempted by those connections, seduced by the idea that perhaps there is a secret hidden within each individual life that, when combined with other lives, is somehow revealed... What it Hyrem could be part of this immense world of knowledge and experience? He would no longer feel pain, or worry. He would be part of the greater collective. He could solve the mysteries of the -

"DON'T DO IT!" The female Frillish screams to Hyrem, snapping him out of his trance and giving away her position. The knowledge fades with the trance, and the vicious Mantine turns toward the pink Frillish, hissing violently. The blue Frillish unleashes a Bubble straight for the Mantine's eyes, which irritates a few of them, but does not seem to do a great deal of damage. The two Frillish immediately look to Hyrem, hoping that he will be able to help them.

You are limited to two orders per Pokemon. Both Frillish are at Lv. 6 and know moves that a Frillish would know at that level. They can also be ordered to "poke costume" or "poke wall" which will cause them to poke out eyes either in the wall or on the costume.

Best of luck to you in this upcoming battle.



uhhhhh- Connor can't help but agree with Sam that the Test of Knowledge may not be the most well-suited test for his company of 'floons; with memories that could fail at any moment, a different test might be more suitable. Gaspard suggest the Test of Bravery; after all, he has already proven his bravery against the Demon Balloon that attacked Connor, and while the 'floons may not be all that strong or terribly knowledgeable, based on Sam's previous actions and the desire of the Drifloon to become free no matter what the cost, it can be pretty much assumed that bravery would be their strongest attribute. Though two-thirds of the Drifloons moan and grumble, the one-third that supports Connor's decision is able to pacify the dissenters by explaining how well-suited everyone is for the task.

"Well, no one's questioning your bravery," Sam grudgingly admits after listening to the 'floons extol Connor and Gaspard's bravery, and their own unrelenting spirit. "Guess that's one thing going for you..."

The group moves forward under the appropriately marked doorway, with the Skitty laughing at the Haunter's attempts at being scary. Everyone prepares for the worst as they enter into a corridor of mirrors which slowly becomes darker and darker as they progress... Hokey light-up eyes blink in the darkness, which induce more annoyance than fear. Connor is only briefly startled by a fake, glowing Shuppet that pops up from the ground and makes a strained sound-effect that sounds more like a dying Meowth than a scary Shuppet. The eyes illuminate fake, plastic gravestones and a few more cheap pop-up scares before Connor, Gaspard and the Drifloons come across something vaguely interesting. A luminescent image of Giratina looms at the end of the corridor, and glowing red lights that form the words "ENTER IF YOU DARE" illuminates a door. The Drifloons, who all seem convinced that this room might lead to an exit, manage to open the door and enter, with Connor and Gaspard trailing behind. The moment the group enters the room, the door slams shut behind them and the lights blink on, as they find themselves in a rather large room comprised entirely of mirrors. "DEAD END" is scrawled in surprisingly realistic blood all over the mirrors... Strange how the blood looks so real when everything else in this "haunted" part of the House of Mirrors was so terribly implemented... Sam immediately gets the creeps and leads the group toward the door, but finds that it has locked from the outside. Sam is clearly panicking, trying desperately to open the door.

"I REFUSE TO BE STUCK HERE FOREVER," he shouts, as if addressing whoever managed to lock them in. As if triggered by his shout, the floor begins violently shaking... At the far end of the room, the mirrored floor begins crumbling and falling into what appears to be a dark abyss... The crumbling spreads slowly but consistently with no sign of stopping, and it will not be long before Connor and Gaspard could potentially plunge to their deaths!!

What will Connor and Gaspard do?



poketim2- Though Jitterz realizes that this battle will likely be a major challenge, he considers himself up to the task, and suggest that they minimize the "floppingz" of the Goldeen first, in order to prevent the shock waves from knocking the little Joltik to Kingdom Come. Brier agrees with this strategy, and helps out his little friend by flinging him toward the Goldeen. Suoni joins Jitterz in the assault, taking a deep breath before charging in.

Jitterz starts the battle with a Spider Web, which awes not only Brier, but Jitterz himself; has all this training been paying off? The web that comes out of Jitterz almost spans the entire crater! Not only that, but it seems to be strong enough to absorb the shockwaves that the Goldeen produces as it angrily tries to free itself from the web; the web shakes violently, but does not tear. Marcus and Suoni are both impressed, and Suoni takes an opportunity to fire off Confusion at the Goldeen... not only does the attack miss, but it looks surprisingly weak. Odd for such a powerful legendary Pokemon to be so poorly trained! In response, the Goldeen turns to Jitterz and fires off a Supersonic attack that fills the area with a horrifying screeching sound that immediately causes Marcus and Brier to put their hands to their ears; thankfully, Jitterz is able to curl up into a ball just in time and protect himself from the vicious ultrasonic waves, which pass by him harmlessly. Unfortunately, Suoni is strongly affected by the move, and floats off aimlessly, muttering about mushrooms growing in Wailmer noses. Jitterz sees a good opportunity unleashes a Thunder Wave right as the Goldeen lifts its tail for a Tail Whip, which hits the Goldeen right in the tail, paralyzing it from the tip of the tail downward. Despite the paralysis, however, the angry Goldeen still manages to complete its Tail Whip, which knocks off the Spider Web and thrusts Joltik backward with incredible force, lowering his defense. Little Jitterz jumps back to his feet, clearly not one to be intimidated, and fires off a Charge Beam at the Goldeen. Brier is floored the attack looks like it was taken straight out of an epic video game, with a giant, glowing beam that engulfs the Goldeen and blasts into the side of the crater opposite the flopping fish, leaving a giant dent in the crater on the other side. Brier cheers at the larger-than-life move that explodes from his tiny Joltik; this epic move has to destroy that Goldeen for sure! Surprisingly enough, while it is indeed super effective, the Goldeen is still flopping away, and though it is clearly damaged, it is far from out. Goldeen's tiny horn transforms into an epic lance as it skewers Jitterz with a mighty Peck; fortunately, even though the attack looks like it would be incredibly painful, Jitterz also seems to have been gifted in this world with a fairly epic defense, and though he squeals in pain, he is far from giving up.

Joltik is at roughly 4/5ths health, but his defense is lowered. Goldeen is at 3/5ths health, its tail still paralyzed. Suoni is confused and muttering utter nonsense, and likely will not be of help again for a few more turns. Marcus is trying to recall him into his Master Ball, but Suoni keeps dodging the light, screaming something about "EVIL LASER DRAGONS".

How will Brier and Jitterz respond?



gmoyes- Alex realizes that there might be more to the glitched Slowpoke he's fighting against than meets the eye... Still, until proven otherwise, it was best to assume that this Slowpoke would operate by the rules of the game. As such, Alex orders himself to THUNDERBOLT the creature as soon as he is able. Unsurprisingly, Alex's speed surpasses the Slowpoke's, and he goes first. The Thunderbolt animation shows up on the screen, and based on the sound of the hit, it was super-effective as planned. The Slowpoke's HP, though it takes a while to drain, goes down, down, down... CRITICAL HIT! shows up on the screen before the SUPER-EFFECTIVE announcement, and it appears that it was exactly the bit of luck that Alex and Red needed. The Slowpoke faints without a hitch. Alex can't help but feel that the game gave him quite the stroke of luck... The pair are told that they defeated the Youngster, who appears on the screen with that same intense glare as before.

"He chose a world that doesn't want him anymore," the Youngster says in response to his defeat.

The screen fades and returns them to the shrubbery maze right in front of the Youngster they had recently defeated. Red decides that he doesn't want to hear what this creepy Youngster has to say after the battle, and immediately activates Pidgey and Flies back to Lavender Town. The moment the pair return to the eerie little town, they find themselves running as fast as they can out of it... The music has become completely unbearable, complete with horrific screeching and hints of whispers echoing through the music. For the sake of their sanity, the two bolt out of Lavender town; the moment they step into the neighboring Route 8 the start menu flares up on the screen. "Here we go... I hope this gets us out of here," Red's text box says as he closes out of the menu, and the screen flashes in a familiar way to indicate that a wild Pokemon has appeared. When Mew manifests, however, despite it looking like the same old pixilated pink cat that so many Pokefans adored, its aura feels strangely... real to Alex.

"A wild MEW appeared," the text beneath Mew announces. Mew's level manifests as ???, giving Red a bit of a pause. Even so, he still calls out his trusted Porygon, hoping that they might run into the same bit of luck as before.

The options, once again, are FIGHT, PKMN, ITEM and RUN. Your attacks are the same as before. Before you choose, however, a text box appears...

"Who are you?"

At first, Alex thinks this might be Red, but a text box saying, "Um, I'm not sure... I guess I'm RED in this world," appears beneath it. Could it be that Mew is speaking...?

"You aren't RED. Where is RED? Where did he go?"

Red does not respond right away. He seems to be waiting for his trusty Porygon to weigh in on the situation.

How will Alex react?



ShadowShocker- Shadow considers what Pyrrhos has to say. The prospect of actually speaking with a ghost is certainly exciting, though even with Pyrrhos as a guide and guardian, it is also an undertaking likely to be rife with danger. Shadow immediately decides against a task involving extermination, as two ladybirds, one of which already exhausted from battle, may not be enough ammo to clear out a giant nest or gathering of Pokemon. The shop owner could likely generously compensate any wayward soul who helps her out, meaning that she will not be at a shortage for hired hands; this left the final specter, who intrigues Shadow the most of all three spirits seeking help. Who was this strange woman who was seeking help from anyone who will listen, but not receiving it from anyone? She certainly sounded the most in need, and the most desperate. Certainly, her quest may end up being the most challenging, as no one seemed to want to waste their time with whatever she required, but the prospect of a difficult task only makes Shadow want to help this mysterious woman even more. With his decision made, the scientist relays his decision to Pyrrhos. The Chandelure nods his luminous head thoughtfully, but does not seem to react much more than that.

"This way, then," he says, ushering Shadow towards what appears to be a locked set of double doors. "STAFF ONLY" is plastered in huge on the concrete frame; Pyrrhos whips out a small key (though where he was storing it before is a mystery to Shadow) and jams it into the side of the door; with some effort, he unlocks the double doors and opens them for Shadow and his companions. Shadow curiously peers inside, and sees that the room appears to contain a small staff elevator. Pyrrhos proceeds to unlock the caged front of the elevator, and motions for Shadow to step inside. Certainly, the elevator looks nowhere near as nice as the one out in the lobby, but at least this one looks decidedly more sturdy... In a hotel this old and dilapidated, reliability certainly took precedent over appearance. Shadow steps into the elevator with his two companions, and Pyrrhos follows, closing the door behind them. Punching in the button labeled "3," the group rises two floors, stopping as the illumated "3" button fizzles out, and the door opens. Shadow and the Pokemon who have taken residence on his shoulders now find themselves in a seemingly empty corridor lined with guest rooms, though Shadow makes a mental note that just because the place appears empty doesn't necessarily mean that's truly the case. Indeed, as Pyrrhos floats down the dark corridor, his light travels much farther than in the lobby, and Shadow can occasionally see the passing ghosts illuminated by the light. Most disturbing was when they would stop to take a good look at Shadow... their glares were far intense than any mortal stare, and Shadow often finds himself feeling uncomfortable with their occasionally vicious glares. Fortunately, with Pyrrhos about, the spirits seem hesitant to attack, but Shadow wonders if he would have been so lucky without such powerful guardianship...

Eventually, even without the illumination of Pyrrhos, the sound of sobbing becomes progressively more audible as the group travels down the corridor. Between sobs, a woman's voice can be heard; "Please, please help meee... Help me... help me find my little Joy. Sir, please..."

As Pyrrhos approaches, a man in his late twenties is illuminated by Pyrrhos' flickering lights, smoking a cigar and looking angrily down at someone or something. His pinstripe suit and smart-looking hat are reminiscent of an earlier time. "Look, lady, we all got people we're missin'. Even if you did find this Joy a'yours, it'd run screamin' from ya. Comes with the territory, y'dig? Get over it and find yourself a... a Duskull'r somethin'! Now get out of my way."

The man stomps off, leaving the woman weeping. As Pyrrhos approaches, she also becomes illuminated; her long, blond hair droops over her face, which is covered by her palms, as she sobs. "You... you don't understand... Ohhhh-" She moans rather horrifically, and Shadow soon realizes that this woman may be holding her face for more reasons than just catching falling tears.... Her hands and face are clearly covered in blood, and Shadow finds himself inwardly hoping that she does not remove her hands to give Shadow a better look at what is likely the wound that caused her current state of existence. Her torn jeans and tight-fitting pink top suggest a more recent death. She even appears to have a relatively modern-looking Pokedex sticking out of her ragged purse. In life, she may have passed for one of those trainers often referred to as "Beauties".

"Pyrrhos... Have you come to help me...?" The woman's voice lights up with a hint of hope.

"I have brought you a man who is eager to give you the help that you need!" Pyrrhos gently but firmly pushes Shadow forward towards the creepy woman.

"You will? Oh, wonderful... I know she is in the park somewhere! She... she died here some years ago. I came all this way looking for her. I... I really hope you will help me! I will be so sad if you won't... so very, very sad..." Something in her voice suggests that there might be a bit of a threatening undercurrent beginning to form at the thought of Shadow deciding not to help her after all. If the scientist truly wishes to help this woman, he might want to consider showing his interest by asking her some questions... Though she does not remove her hands from her face, she does move a bit to get some of the hair away from her bloody ear, which appears to have been mostly bitten off by some sort of vicious Pokemon... Still, she seems quite capable of listening with it, despite its current state.

How does Shadow react?



Itzatrap- Both Rob and Melantha admire the "hologram" of Panpour that the pair have received; despite its initial appearance, its ability to manipulate objects and cry like a real Pokemon is absolutely astounding. Though Rob and Melantha are mesmerized by the creature and are haunted by the question of whether or not this Pokemon could truly be considered "real," they both eventually come to the conclusion that it is probably better for both of them to focus on the task at hand. After thinking it through with Melantha's eager support, Rob finally decides that the water symbol should go on the lightning Pokeball, the lighting/water symbol should go on the water Pokeball, and the lightning symbol should go on the water Pokeball. Before Rob and Melantha can even so much as lift a finger, however, the energetic Panpour rearranges the symbols for them just as Rob had specified, then gives them a big thumbs up, as if to say that he intends to help them in the testing process.

After a moment's pause, a bell rings and a door suddenly opens. You may proceed, the voice says, without a hint of emotion to indicate whether or not Rob and Melantha answered correctly. Even so, the pair at least consider themselves fortunate to be progressing. Panpour claps his hands happily and follows them into the next room. Perhaps he will be useful for a future test...

Rob and Melantha are happy to see that this room is a little less bare and sterile than the last; in fact, it looks as if all 649 known Pokemon are represented on the walls by the illustrations used in their standard Pokedex entries. Each illustration has a small red button beneath it. Rob and Melantha study the drawings as extensively as they can, but none of them seem to jump out in particular, and they seem to have been ordered by their Pokedex number as opposed to some sort of unusual sequence. The buttons beneath the Pokemon are all completely uniform, and the Pokemon themselves all seem accurately depicted from what the trainer and his Absol can see. There also does not seem to be any Pokemon missing; these assumptions, of course, are made without checking every single Pokemon on the wall, but these impressions of the room and its contents seem fairly solid. After considering the room for a little while, the Panpour cries out and turns the pair's attention to a poster on the ceiling, which looks like this (only probably better drawn). Rob waits for further instruction from the voices that seem to have taken residence within his head, but no such instruction comes. That said, Panpour seems quite enamored with the badly-drawn sign. Perhaps it would be wise to pay attention to it...

What will Rob and Melantha do?



MarbleZone- Wallace Dornez of House Hellsinger is acutely aware of how quickly he could have become the FORMER Wallace Dornez of House Hellsinger had Oceanus not intervened on his behalf, and comes to the realization quickly that he already owes the ghostly butler a life debt. It thoroughly unnerves Wallace how rapidly that situation could have turned ugly; even Crixus, the Undefeated Elekid grasps the gravity of what just occurred. Whether that comprehension was due to maturity or the intensity of that particular event was hard to determine, but Wallace is certainly relieved that his Elekid is at least behaving in a manner that will not lead to the poor little electric Pokemon getting eaten. Now, for the tiny matter of keeping Lady Aedre entertained... Wallace is horrified as he finds himself at a loss for words. How could his silver tongue fail him now, when he needed it most? How could he answer so calmly in the face of Ruby, but not in the face of Aedre? Certainly, one so cultured as the Lady has likely experienced multiple lifetimes of exciting, intriguing events... how would one entertain such a learned, indulged Pokemon? Then again, perhaps his vocal paralysis had something to do with that unnerving hunger in Aedre's eyes... that utter lack of caring she exuded, despite her fancy frills and appearance of being cultured. There was no doubt in Wallace's mind that Lady Aedre was just the type of entitled and sadistic Pokemon that saw no issue whatsoever with eating whomever she pleased, then delighting in tormenting their spirit for eternity. She wasn't just a murderer... she was Hell itself.

Wallace tries his best to remind himself that it is not Levin that the Lady wants, but the cultured Wallace Dornez. Perhaps this is why Ruby forced him to take on a different name... Perhaps Ruby already knew that this is what it would take for him to survive. His clientele didn't want the truth, though they would certainly dole it out in spades. They wanted the lie. They wanted Wallace.

Lady Aedre perks up immediately at the sound of gossip, particularly about another ghost type. She laughs with utter delight at Wallace's description of this former master and how tiresome it was to eat lawyers and politicians day in and day out. "A TRUCK DRIVER? Mercy me! How droll~! Those Dusknoir are indeed quite provincial, are they not? Oh, but I must pity your poor employer to some degree, for certain... I imagine that lawyers and politicians do not have much of a soul to speak of! That is the most delicious aspect of any meal, after all..." The Lady cackles a bit, her eyes gleaming. It is around this time that a brilliant idea comes to Wallace... This conceited, spoiled princess would likely jump at any opportunity to talk about herself. It was a risky move, but as Wallace gages the Jellicent's reaction, he can tell that his risk is about to pay off big time, as Lady Aedre's eyes sparkle with glee.

"About me? Oh, you are too kind, Sir Wallace! Well, there is not much to tell, really..." Of course, Lady Aedre's definition of "not much to tell" easily spans an hour, as the Lady regales poor Wallace with stories of her life as a young lady in Court, about her extensive jewelry collection, her gowns and riches, and about the dreadful suitor her parents wanted to force her to marry. She threatened to drown herself to get away from the terrible man, and had hoped that her servants would find her in the lake. She had left plenty of clues, of course, but the imbeciles never came to find her, and she drowned in the lake. "A most wretched way to go," she grumbles. "Oh, but I am keeping you from the other guests~! How dreadfully selfish of me. Please, attend to the others and do not worry about me! It was a pleasure meeting you, Sir Wallace. I shall have to remember you." The Jellicent smirks, and kisses both of Wallace's cheeks before floating off, leaving two heart marks behind. Oceanus notices that Wallace has survived his encounter with Lady Aedre, and immediately ushers him over, a worried look on his face.

Three male Jellicent and one female Jellicent have convened at a small rectangular table set up near the back of the room, and as Wallace approaches, he can tell that they are making drink orders. Oceanus quickly hands a pad and paper to Wallace, and hisses under his breath, "Write down the orders. Quickly, now!" He then turns to the Jellicent convened at the table with a forced smile. "This is my assistant. Please do not eat him. He will be writing down your orders. Please be sure to introduce yourselves to him."

"Mmyes, my name is Alphonse, and I will be having the House White," says the male Jellicent sitting across from the female.

"I am Lord Wormwood, and I have decided on the House Red," says the male Jellicent diagonal to the female.

"Indeed, I go by the moniker of Lawrence, and I will also be partaking in the House Red," says the Jellicent to the left of the female, sitting across from Lord Wormwood.

"I am Lady Morgane," says the female, "and from my viewpoint, unless the Jellicent at the left of the Jellicent opposite the Jellicent who ordered the House White is not having what the Jellicent across from the Jellicent at the right of the Jellicent at my left is having, then I'll have what the Jellicent across from the Jellicent at the right of the Jellicent opposite me ordered. Otherwise, bring me your finest champagne."

Oceanus fights the urge to roll his eyes. "My Lady, are you quite certain that there is not a simpler way that you could make your order...?"

"What, are you a simpleton? Is that why you demand simplicity from me? I am a highly complex being, I will have you know! I will not tolerate anything less!" The males around her chuckle and clap their tentacles in awe of what they perceive to be a spectacular lady. "Indeed, you are most brilliant," they chime in unison. "The most lovely devourer of souls!"

Oceanus looks to Wallace with a look of desperation in his eyes. Clearly, he needs Wallace's help to solve the riddle. How will he and Crixus respond?

[MarbleZone]

MarbleZone- Wallace Dornez of House Hellsinger is acutely aware of how quickly he could have become the FORMER Wallace Dornez of House Hellsinger had Oceanus not intervened on his behalf, and comes to the realization quickly that he already owes the ghostly butler a life debt. It thoroughly unnerves Wallace how rapidly that situation could have turned ugly; even Crixus, the Undefeated Elekid grasps the gravity of what just occurred. Whether that comprehension was due to maturity or the intensity of that particular event was hard to determine, but Wallace is certainly relieved that his Elekid is at least behaving in a manner that will not lead to the poor little electric Pokemon getting eaten. Now, for the tiny matter of keeping Lady Aedre entertained... Wallace is horrified as he finds himself at a loss for words. How could his silver tongue fail him now, when he needed it most? How could he answer so calmly in the face of Ruby, but not in the face of Aedre? Certainly, one so cultured as the Lady has likely experienced multiple lifetimes of exciting, intriguing events... how would one entertain such a learned, indulged Pokemon? Then again, perhaps his vocal paralysis had something to do with that unnerving hunger in Aedre's eyes... that utter lack of caring she exuded, despite her fancy frills and appearance of being cultured. There was no doubt in Wallace's mind that Lady Aedre was just the type of entitled and sadistic Pokemon that saw no issue whatsoever with eating whomever she pleased, then delighting in tormenting their spirit for eternity. She wasn't just a murderer... she was Hell itself.

Wallace tries his best to remind himself that it is not Levin that the Lady wants, but the cultured Wallace Dornez. Perhaps this is why Ruby forced him to take on a different name... Perhaps Ruby already knew that this is what it would take for him to survive. His clientele didn't want the truth, though they would certainly dole it out in spades. They wanted the lie. They wanted Wallace.

Lady Aedre perks up immediately at the sound of gossip, particularly about another ghost type. She laughs with utter delight at Wallace's description of this former master and how tiresome it was to eat lawyers and politicians day in and day out. "A TRUCK DRIVER? Mercy me! How droll~! Those Dusknoir are indeed quite provincial, are they not? Oh, but I must pity your poor employer to some degree, for certain... I imagine that lawyers and politicians do not have much of a soul to speak of! That is the most delicious aspect of any meal, after all..." The Lady cackles a bit, her eyes gleaming. It is around this time that a brilliant idea comes to Wallace... This conceited, spoiled princess would likely jump at any opportunity to talk about herself. It was a risky move, but as Wallace gages the Jellicent's reaction, he can tell that his risk is about to pay off big time, as Lady Aedre's eyes sparkle with glee.

"About me? Oh, you are too kind, Sir Wallace! Well, there is not much to tell, really..." Of course, Lady Aedre's definition of "not much to tell" easily spans an hour, as the Lady regales poor Wallace with stories of her life as a young lady in Court, about her extensive jewelry collection, her gowns and riches, and about the dreadful suitor her parents wanted to force her to marry. She threatened to drown herself to get away from the terrible man, and had hoped that her servants would find her in the lake. She had left plenty of clues, of course, but the imbeciles never came to find her, and she drowned in the lake. "A most wretched way to go," she grumbles. "Oh, but I am keeping you from the other guests~! How dreadfully selfish of me. Please, attend to the others and do not worry about me! It was a pleasure meeting you, Sir Wallace. I shall have to remember you." The Jellicent smirks, and kisses both of Wallace's cheeks before floating off, leaving two heart marks behind. Oceanus notices that Wallace has survived his encounter with Lady Aedre, and immediately ushers him over, a worried look on his face.

Three male Jellicent and one female Jellicent have convened at a small rectangular table set up near the back of the room, and as Wallace approaches, he can tell that they are making drink orders. Oceanus quickly hands a pad and paper to Wallace, and hisses under his breath, "Write down the orders. Quickly, now!" He then turns to the Jellicent convened at the table with a forced smile. "This is my assistant. Please do not eat him. He will be writing down your orders. Please be sure to introduce yourselves to him."

"Mmyes, my name is Alphonse, and I will be having the House White," says the male Jellicent sitting across from the female.

"I am Lord Wormwood, and I will be having the House Red," says the male Jellicent diagonal to the female.

"Indeed, I go by the moniker of Lawrence, and I will also be partaking in the House Red," says the Jellicent to the right of the female, sitting across from Lord Wormwood.

"I am Lady Morgane," says the female, "and from my viewpoint, unless the Jellicent at the left of the Jellicent opposite the Jellicent who ordered the House White is not having what the Jellicent across from the Jellicent at the right of the Jellicent at my left is having, then I'll have what the Jellicent across from the Jellicent at the right of the Jellicent opposite me ordered. Otherwise, bring me your finest champagne."

Oceanus fights the urge to roll his eyes. "My Lady, are you quite certain that there is not a simpler way that you could make your order...?"

"What, are you a simpleton? Is that why you demand simplicity from me? I am a highly complex being, I will have you know! I will not tolerate anything less!" The males around her chuckle and clap their tentacles in awe of what they perceive to be a spectacular lady. "Indeed, you are most brilliant," they chime in unison. "The most lovely devourer of souls!"

Oceanus looks to Wallace with a look of desperation in his eyes. Clearly, he needs Wallace's help to solve the riddle. How will he and Crixus respond?

Things couldn’t have turned out any better with Lady Aedre. Though this time around the merit didn’t belong to his way with words, but simply to the fact that he had met his fair share of egocentric people in his life.

As Lady Aedre went over every single detail of her personal previous life, right down to the silly details of her death, Levin’s mind began to wonder… Why didn’t anybody else make it out alive of these ordeals? Sure, the probability that a false step would lead to death was incredibly high, but was that all? He wasn’t a particularly bright guy, nor brave, nor strong… Certainly there had been other victims before him much more qualified to make it out alive, and they hadn’t. What if, no matter how well somebody did, he was killed anyway? What if the game was rigged from the start?

, I can’t afford to think like that now. Even if there’s a small chance of surviving, I’ll take it. I got into this by my own choice, whether it was the prospect of reward or simply Calandra’s company that made me do this. I can’t give up, even if Ruby intends to kill me in the end regardless of how I do. I’ll keep being Wallace Dornez, it’s not like I have much of a choice anyway…

Lady Aedre appeared to be done with her story, snapping back into the real world upon remembering that there were other guests waiting… More considerate of her than Levin would have thought possible. Apparently thoroughly satisfied with his services, she said her goodbyes with two ghostly kisses that froze him in place by some unnatural force. After promising (for better or worse) not to forget Wallace Dornez, Oceanus motioned to a group of – oh joy! – four other Jellicent, who were indeed waiting to be served.

Upon approaching the group, he was handed a pad and paper to take their orders by a concerned-looking Oceanus. He reminded himself that the poor butler could be helpful in the future again, and took a mental note to ask him what happened to everybody else who took these trials.

“This is my assistant. Please do not eat him”. Yep, certainly useful, good ol’ Oceanus…

The three male Jellicent – Alphonse, Wormwood and Lawrence – ordered two House Reds and a House White among them. Levin half-heartedly scribbled down the orders, not paying mind to who ordered what. Nothing that couldn’t be sorted out when he brought the beverages. But then it was the female Jellicent’s turn, and oh, how he was starting to loathe females.

"I am Lady Morgane," said the female, "and from my viewpoint, unless the Jellicent at the left of the Jellicent opposite the Jellicent who ordered the House White is not having what the Jellicent across from the Jellicent at the right of the Jellicent at my left is having, then I'll have what the Jellicent across from the Jellicent at the right of the Jellicent opposite me ordered. Otherwise, bring me your finest champagne."

Wha…? Why? Why couldn’t anybody around here be normal?! Was being a lunatic a prerequisite to being dead in this place?! He scratched his notes and started over – who ordered what did matter after all.

Oceanus sure did a terrible job at hiding his panic though. And why? The guy was already a ghost, couldn’t get any deader! But Levin could, and most definitely would if he screwed this up – then again, wasn’t that becoming the norm?

Levin became Wallace again, and jotted down the orders diligently. Well, in reality, what he did was more of a diagram to solve Morgane’s riddle.

    Spoiler:- Note:

Show Spoiler

 

 

Hopefully Oceanus would pick up on what he was trying to do, as solving the riddle would take a little while. He tried to urge the butler to say something to keep them distracted as subtly as he could, with a light head tilt in their direction while forming the word “Speak!” with his lips. Afterwards, he casually looked at the paper in his hand, attempting to connect all the crazy pointers without giving away that he was at a loss, pretending to tally up the orders.

Let’s see here… She's saying that her beverage depends on whether or not Lawrence and Alphonse have the same to drink, right? Which would mean… No, wait, “to the right”, then “across”… Damn, I got lost! But I can’t start over, I’m taking too long! No time to confirm, let’s hope my first reasoning was right.

He cleared his throat and spoke up, as calmly as he could for somebody who was completely uncertain of what he was about to say.

- Very well then, all jotted down. It will be one House White for Sir Alphonse, one House Red for Lord Wormwood, another House Red for Sir Lawrence… and as for you Lady Morgane, you would be having a House Red if Sir Alphonse and Sir Lawrence had the same drink, correct? Alas, they will not, so I will bring you some champagne, yes? Your drinks will be coming in a moment, kindly wait just little longer.

He held his breath, finding himself in a now all-too-familiar situation: waiting for an outcome of either great success or catastrophic failure. Funny thing how he would never get used to the feeling, no matter how many times he experienced it…

[uhhhhh]

uhhhhh- Connor can't help but agree with Sam that the Test of Knowledge may not be the most well-suited test for his company of 'floons; with memories that could fail at any moment, a different test might be more suitable. Gaspard suggest the Test of Bravery; after all, he has already proven his bravery against the Demon Balloon that attacked Connor, and while the 'floons may not be all that strong or terribly knowledgeable, based on Sam's previous actions and the desire of the Drifloon to become free no matter what the cost, it can be pretty much assumed that bravery would be their strongest attribute. Though two-thirds of the Drifloons moan and grumble, the one-third that supports Connor's decision is able to pacify the dissenters by explaining how well-suited everyone is for the task.

"Well, no one's questioning your bravery," Sam grudgingly admits after listening to the 'floons extol Connor and Gaspard's bravery, and their own unrelenting spirit. "Guess that's one thing going for you..."

The group moves forward under the appropriately marked doorway, with the Skitty laughing at the Haunter's attempts at being scary. Everyone prepares for the worst as they enter into a corridor of mirrors which slowly becomes darker and darker as they progress... Hokey light-up eyes blink in the darkness, which induce more annoyance than fear. Connor is only briefly startled by a fake, glowing Shuppet that pops up from the ground and makes a strained sound-effect that sounds more like a dying Meowth than a scary Shuppet. The eyes illuminate fake, plastic gravestones and a few more cheap pop-up scares before Connor, Gaspard and the Drifloons come across something vaguely interesting. A luminescent image of Giratina looms at the end of the corridor, and glowing red lights that form the words "ENTER IF YOU DARE" illuminates a door. The Drifloons, who all seem convinced that this room might lead to an exit, manage to open the door and enter, with Connor and Gaspard trailing behind. The moment the group enters the room, the door slams shut behind them and the lights blink on, as they find themselves in a rather large room comprised entirely of mirrors. "DEAD END" is scrawled in surprisingly realistic blood all over the mirrors... Strange how the blood looks so real when everything else in this "haunted" part of the House of Mirrors was so terribly implemented... Sam immediately gets the creeps and leads the group toward the door, but finds that it has locked from the outside. Sam is clearly panicking, trying desperately to open the door.

"I REFUSE TO BE STUCK HERE FOREVER," he shouts, as if addressing whoever managed to lock them in. As if triggered by his shout, the floor begins violently shaking... At the far end of the room, the mirrored floor begins crumbling and falling into what appears to be a dark abyss... The crumbling spreads slowly but consistently with no sign of stopping, and it will not be long before Connor and Gaspard could potentially plunge to their deaths!!

What will Connor and Gaspard do?

"Well, no one's questioning your bravery, guess that's one thing going for you..." Connor got flustered at Sam's compliment. "Me... brave? I'm not really so sure about that to be honest," of all the things that Connor has heard other people or Pokemon say about him, being brave was never the first thing that comes into their mind. Then again, these people had never called him cowardly either. "It's just... I've never heard of anyone calling me that... um... gee... well this is awkward, let's just go on alright?" Connor, Gaspard, and the other Drifloons went onwards towards the path to the Test of Bravery.

The group then prepared themselves as to what is to come as the place around them got darker as they walked. Lights that supposedly served as blinking eyes now surround them. Connor's eyes widened when a fake Shuppet popped up with a matching sound effect that made the photographer stare at it weirdly than be scared entirely. "You know Gaspard, with all the things that has happened to us here recently, I keep forgetting that this is a theme park. Even Foster's much more scarier than that fake Shuppet, and he's not that all bad," Gaspard nodded with him in agreement.

The group had finally reached the end of the corridor as they see a luminescent image of Giratina and glowing letters that light up a door. "'Enter if you dare' huh...?" Connor read aloud to the Drifloons. The group of balloons, eager to get out of this place as quick as possible, then entered through the door with Connor and Gaspard behind them. As alkl of them had entered, the door had slammed itself shut, trapping them in a room surrounded by more mirrors. The words "DEAD END" surrounds the entire room. Connor felt one of the words nearby and felt its texture and sniffed it. "This is... blood," Connor muttered as he felt Gaspard shudder on his shoulder at his words. Both of them had the same idea in mind: Trapped in a room? Surrounded with the words "Dead End"? Said words written in realistic blood? Something bad was going to happen. "Geez, I also keep forgetting that this place is a haunted theme park," Connor said darkly. Suddenly, they heard Sam scream as he tried to open the door they just passed through.

"I REFUSE TO BE STUCK HERE FOREVER," Sam yelled at the door. Just as Connor and Gaspard thought, they are trapped in this room. Suddenly, as if triggered by Sam's shouting, the mirrored floor on the other end crumbles, the mirror shards falling into what seemed to be a bottomless pit. Not good. "...The ground's collapsing!" Connor shouted out. While this was not much of a problem for the Drifloons as they could float, Connor and Gaspard can't and if both of them fall down now... Connor had to think of a plan fast.

"Drifloons, we need your help!" he called out to the Drifloons, "No time to hesitate guys, I need you to wrap around us to lift us up now! Gaspard, hang on tight to me!" he said as he grabbed the little Aipom and bearhugged him tightly to his chest with Gaspard attempting to do the same. "So the floor's collapsing... but what comes next? What then afterwards? The door won't budge and I don't think that bottomless pit's our way out either..."

[myahoo]

Hey, all! I'm the newest Phantom Isle ZA, as I announced a bit ago, and here's my first set of updates! Sorry for the delay; my Internet access is slightly limited at the moment and I was trying to plan out the general outline of all your adventures, but I hope these updates are up to par. Additionally, I'm not going to be picking up any new intro posts, as there's been some shifting around of updatees and I might be picking up a couple more in a bit.

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you all replied in slategray and size 1 font, along with decent grammar, spelling, punctuation, the whole package, alright? :3 Cool! Off you go.



~!~



Takeo: You arrive at the Haunted Theme Park with your Vulpix by your side, though she seems a bit sleepy from the boat ride over, and enter the deserted amusement park rather fearlessly. A moment later, you freeze, feeling the many pairs of eyes watching your progress through the gate, but neither you nor Grace can figure out where they originate from. You try to laugh it off, but your starter can feel the gazes just as well as, if not better, than you can and she remains unconvinced. So do you, for that matter. Still, you continue further into the park, hoping to visit one of the many rollercoasters scattered throughout the theme park. The fog makes it easy to get lost and it turns out that the two of you ended up going the wrong way. However, confident in your ability to pull yourselves out of trouble, you walk on, eventually arriving at a brilliantly lit merry-go-round complete with sturdy, worn Pokemon to ride on. You waste no time in jumping on the ride, choosing an Arcanine and lifting Grace into your arms, and you ignore the little niggling feeling that maybe you shouldn’t have impulsively gotten on a ride in a deserted amusement park. It’s too late to change your mind, though, because, as soon as you’d gotten settled, the music crackles to life from somewhere near the middle of the merry-go-round and the ride begins moving on its own.

As the merry-go-round picks up speed, you begin catching shadows in the corner of your eye, whipping past while you circle around and around and around. They almost seem to be closing in on you every time you pass by and your gut feelings begin to scream at you to get off now. At the same moment, the screech of rusted metal reaches your ears and suddenly you realize that your Arcanine steed is sinking into the floor, the other Pokemon gradually getting taller and taller the longer you stay on. You try to tug your hand off the pole, but it’s almost like it’s glued to the rod because it doesn’t move no matter how much you struggle; you find you can’t shift in your seat either, but at least your Vulpix is in no danger of falling off the Arcanine.

Shadows fall over you and you find that you are now eye-level with the floor, still sinking and getting quicker by the second. As your head sinks below the merry-go-round’s floor, you briefly catch eerie laughter rising from around the ride, as though an audience has been eagerly watching you struggle. Some sort of panel slides across the top and cuts off the sound before you can retort, but it’s pretty much pitch-black now. It feels like you’re still descending, though, so the only reasonable thing you can do now is sit and wait.

Eventually, you feel the circling slow and another metal screech coupled with a brief jerk finally signals the end of the ride. Relieved to be able to move freely again, you dismount the Arcanine and glance around, but the darkness is still preventing you from seeing much. It doesn’t stop your ears from picking up the whispering of things moving in the dark or the feeling of wind as they move about, though, and you flinch as something brushes against your shoulder. However, there seems to be a brightening of the blackness surrounding you in, what you can only assume is, the forward direction.

What will you do?



~!~



Fireray: You approach the Ghost Train boarding station, fear making you reluctant to board. Your Cyndaquil, on the other hand, can’t understand why it’s taking you so long to get anywhere near the attraction; he doesn’t seem to realize that the park is practically devoid of life and continues merrily leading the way. Eventually, the two of you make it to the station and you give Cyndaquil some last-minute instructions before you step onto the silent husk of a train, gingerly testing the floorboards before you shift your weight onto them.

You find yourself in a burnt-out train car and shiver at the sight of the blackened seats and charred inner walls; you could almost hear the crackling and roaring of the fire as it consumes everything in the car, muting the screams and cries of those caught inside. With a shake of your head, you glance around, trying to ignore the evidence of the fire and turning left when it becomes obvious that the right path was rendered inaccessible in the fire. You pick your way through the debris and ashes, scanning the cars as you pass through them; all of them show the marks of the fire. Charred walls, blackened seats, piles of soot… You pause for a moment, thinking you hear something unusual, and, after a moment, the sound comes again.

Giggling.

Confused and more than a little frightened, you glance around frantically, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from and what could be making it. It sounded like a little girl, but who would actually let a little girl play around in an abandoned, and reputedly haunted, park? A shadow darts past in the corner of your eye and your Cyndaquil tilts his head, watching its movements, before seeming to remember what he was supposed to do. He lets loose a cloud of Smoke, Screening everything from view and, unfortunately, you lose sight of everything in the billowing cloud. Out of the black mass comes a pair of red eyes, Leering at you, and, in your panic, you completely forget that you had ordered your starter to use those moves in the first place. You scramble madly for the exit, blind in the cloud of smoke, and the giggling starts up again, along with another somewhat-familiar sound. A crackling. A popping. A whoosh and the blast of heat in your face tells you exactly what’s making that sound.

Fire.

The giggling stops abruptly when the fire catches and a little girl’s frantic voice calls out to you. “Mister! Come this way! Hurry up, there’s a fire!” You’re blind, you’ve lost track of the exit, you don’t know where your Cyndaquil is, and there’s a fire in the same car as you.

What will you do?



~!~



XatuGamer: Instead of running, you decide to try to attack the oncoming ghosts, ordering your Murkrow to use Peck on them. He flies towards the blobs, trying to peck at them, but the Gastlys and Haunters only laugh at his efforts; they dodge and tease him, just staying out of his reach, and Necro quickly tires out. You realize you can’t fight them and call back your starter, before turning on your heel and sprinting in the same direction as the other kid. Behind you, the laughter of the mass of ghosts chases after you for a while, before they begin to fade; a quick glance behind you shows the group falling behind, allowing you to get away. You spot a hollow in the wall and dive in, breathing heavily from your sprint and calling out your starter again. You wonder where the other guy went and hope you can catch up with him, figuring two people had a better chance on this island than one.

You’ve almost recovered your breath when laughter starts to echo around you and you immediately recognize the eerie sounds from earlier. It seems the Gastlys and Haunters have found you, but the hollow you found refuge in is only a dead-end. In front of the entrance, the Haunters materialized, grinning maliciously as they approach, forcing you to step backwards. Behind you, you can hear more ghosts materializing and, with a sinking feeling, you realize you’re surrounded. The Pokemon begin glowing in preparation for something, but, thankfully, you don’t find out what that is, as the Stunky from before leaps over the group, slashing downward with a Claw covered in Shadows. The Haunter in front of you screech in pain and fade away, fleeing from the scene. It seems they don’t want mess with something that can actually hit them, though a few Gastlys are reluctant to stop their game. The Stunky leaps at one and Crunches it between its fangs, which quickly convinces the stragglers to get a move on. After one last dark look at the three of you, they disappear into the darkness.

“Man, you certainly like to make things difficult, don’t you?” The voice comes from the entrance to the hollow. You turn around and spot the trainer from earlier, standing with a hand stuffed into a pocket. The Stunky bounds back to its trainer and the teen glances down at it. “Nice job, buddy; you definitely taught those ghosts a lesson.” He grins at his Stunky, before he turns back to you. “Hey. Name’s Jake. C’mon, I’ve found a place that’s decent enough in this park and the ghosts know better than to poke around there.” He smiles at you and motions for you to follow him.

What will you do?



~!~



Tyoyo3131: Unable to remember exactly why you thought it was a good idea to come to the deserted theme park, you glance around apprehensively before calling out your Dustox. His mood doesn’t seem to help much, but the little coins he sends your way certainly make things a little better for you. You then search for something that may take your Pokemon’s mind off whatever was troubling him and spot a giant tower with a slide wrapping around it in a spiral. Hoping that Severus could be distracted by the attraction, you set off for it, ignoring how it looked somewhat ominous in the dark. But then, everything in the park looked like that and this was no different. What was different was the feeling that someone was walking along behind you, but you’re sure Severus would have done something if that were the case. A glance back proves you right; no one was following you, but the feeling remains.

Once you arrive at the base of the helter-skelter, though, you are able to ignore it in favor of examining the stairs leading all the way up to the top of the tower, which look rather rickety. You place a foot on the first step and find, to your surprise, that it is much more stable than it appears. Shrugging at the odd contradiction, you begin to climb the staircase, keeping close to the wall as you spiral upwards, and it takes several flights before you notice anything weird. You pause in your climbing and strain your ears, waiting for the echoes to stop before taking another few steps. A shiver crawls down your spine when you realize that it wasn’t just your echo; there was another set of footsteps mirroring your own and neither you nor Severus had noticed it before. Briefly, your thoughts jump back to some of the rumors you heard on your way over, but you shake those thoughts away to refocus on the present. A glance up shows that you’re only a couple of flights from the top and a quick burst could get you up onto the open platform in less than a minute.

What will you do?



~!~



Thrain: Even after wandering around the deserted park for hours and getting lost frequently, you are still determined to find the Fortune Teller’s Tent and have your fortune told. As you hit another dead-end, you find your thoughts drifting back to the rumors that you’d heard about the park and you admit that the area you now found yourself in is creepy, though at least you haven’t encountered anything particularly supernatural yet. You pass an intersection and do a double-take at the sight of the tent you had been looking for all day; the only problem: you could have sworn the last time you passed by, there had been nothing there. A chill races over you, but you fight down the feeling and call Blaze to you, pushing aside the cloth door when he comes.

“Hello there, dear.” A warm voice greets you and your gaze is immediately drawn to the lady sitting behind the table. She looks young, much younger than you expected, and she smiles at you, motioning for you to take a seat. “So, you’re the one who’s been wandering around looking for me all day. Did you want me to tell your fortune? You must have been very determined.” You feel another chill at her words; how had she known you’d spent hours searching for her, let alone what you wanted? You glance around the tent uncomfortably, but there’s nothing really interesting that catches your attention. “Don’t be shy, dear. I don’t bite.” You turn back to the fortune teller when she speaks and she smiles again. This time, you can’t help feeling as though something dark lurks behind that smile.

What will you do?



~!~



King Ghidorah: Though you remain paralyzed on the floor, your Krabby glows and his form shifts into a larger, but still familiar shape. Perhaps fighting off the Mismagius’ Hypnosis or maybe the trouble you are currently in gave him enough incentive to evolve, but why and how doesn’t matter; the large black ball hovering in front of the Mismagius isn’t getting any smaller and every moment you waste is one moment closer to a whole lot of pain.

Re-energized and confident in the strength of your new Kingler, you give him his orders and sit back, hoping he’d be able to pull through for you. It was all you could do now, what with being paralyzed and now having a very heavy Kingler sitting on your chest. Thankfully, Kingler scuttles off your chest after only a moment and stares the Mismagius down, his claws starting to catch Fire as he Crosses them in front of him. He leaps forward only a moment before the Mismagius releases the Ball of Shadows and she screeches as the hit grazes her, her attack barely missing your head. If you could move, you would have scrambled away, but your heart is pounding away at the close call.

Then, you feel the floor rumble and decently-sized rocks begin to rise, glowing with Power. Kingler’s body glows white, as well, before he tosses the Ancient rocks towards the Mismagius, who is able to dodge about half of them. She hisses at the two of you once the barrage is over and sends out a burst of glowing Leaves that Magically home in on Kingler. She doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to them, as only a few actually reach the Pincer Pokemon, before she flees, yelling venomously at you two on her way.

“You will never escape me, Hugo! No matter where you go, I will find you! I will make you regret the day you decided to leave me!”

Her voice slowly disappears, but the vow hangs eerily in the air. With a shiver, you find that you can now move again and you shakily push yourself up to lean against the wall. Though you’ve forced the Mismagius away, you and Kingler are still stuck in the room, but a glance around tells you that it’s not the same one as before. For one, you can actually see the sky and for another, the floor’s made of stone. The walls are too high and too smooth for you to climb, though, and you can’t quite tell how thick the walls are.

What will you do?

[ApertureScience]

Hey, all! I'm the newest Phantom Isle ZA, as I announced a bit ago, and here's my first set of updates! Sorry for the delay; my Internet access is slightly limited at the moment and I was trying to plan out the general outline of all your adventures, but I hope these updates are up to par. Additionally, I'm not going to be picking up any new intro posts, as there's been some shifting around of updatees and I might be picking up a couple more in a bit.

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you all replied in slategray and size 1 font, along with decent grammar, spelling, punctuation, the whole package, alright? :3 Cool! Off you go.


Tyoyo3131: Unable to remember exactly why you thought it was a good idea to come to the deserted theme park, you glance around apprehensively before calling out your Dustox. His mood doesn’t seem to help much, but the little coins he sends your way certainly make things a little better for you. You then search for something that may take your Pokemon’s mind off whatever was troubling him and spot a giant tower with a slide wrapping around it in a spiral. Hoping that Severus could be distracted by the attraction, you set off for it, ignoring how it looked somewhat ominous in the dark. But then, everything in the park looked like that and this was no different. What was different was the feeling that someone was walking along behind you, but you’re sure Severus would have done something if that were the case. A glance back proves you right; no one was following you, but the feeling remains.

Once you arrive at the base of the helter-skelter, though, you are able to ignore it in favor of examining the stairs leading all the way up to the top of the tower, which look rather rickety. You place a foot on the first step and find, to your surprise, that it is much more stable than it appears. Shrugging at the odd contradiction, you begin to climb the staircase, keeping close to the wall as you spiral upwards, and it takes several flights before you notice anything weird. You pause in your climbing and strain your ears, waiting for the echoes to stop before taking another few steps. A shiver crawls down your spine when you realize that it wasn’t just your echo; there was another set of footsteps mirroring your own and neither you nor Severus had noticed it before. Briefly, your thoughts jump back to some of the rumors you heard on your way over, but you shake those thoughts away to refocus on the present. A glance up shows that you’re only a couple of flights from the top and a quick burst could get you up onto the open platform in less than a minute.

What will you do?

Trust me: I have grammar as far as I can tell. Fair warning, however: Length is my main problem. I will be attempting to comabt this by attempting to write in 1st person. If it confuses you too much, just say so and I can switch back to 3rd person.


Walking towards the helter-skelter as I have heard it been called, I turned around to see if there was anything behind me besides my moth ally, as I knew quite well that ghosts like to sneak up on you from my childhood experiences in the Old Chateau. Seeing nothing, but still retaining the feeling of being watched, I told Severus to keep an eye out for anything. The sad little moth nodded, and glanced around briefly before continuing to fly around with his head down. Poor guy.

Upon reaching the stairs to the peak of the tower, I once again felt the strange feeling of being watched. Glancing at Severus, who was too busy being depressed to save his own life, let alone keep watch, I felt there was a good chance of a devious little ghost who wanted to play a game. I figured I would deal with it when it came, and started up the surprisingly sturdy stairs. Yet about half way up, I heard something strange. A second pair of footsteps wouldn’t be that odd- if I was with Maxwell, not Severus. Glancing back once again, I took one more step, and sure enough, another echoed back. “Severus, you are an amazing watch guard.” I said with obvious sarcasm. The moth looked up again, and I took another step to show him what I was talking about. He turned around and blew a Blizzard their way, and I took the possible distraction to sprint up the stairs with a moth speeding ahead of me. Looks like I was wrong. He could come out of his depression to save his life.

[Dark Searchman]

Dark Searchman- The Frillish nod and agree to provide backup, while Delilah does her best to psych herself up for the upcoming battle, attempting to regain as much energy as she can. Hyrem is keenly aware that he does not have the time to be poking around the Harvester's Lair like an old man in an antique shop, so he quickly settles in his mind that energy-restoring items for Delilah are top priority. One of the backpacks seems to be filled with berries, which immediately catches Hyrem's eye... Though most of the berries have rotted or lack any sort of healing property, Hyrem does manage to find a Sitrus Berry and an Oran Berry that are in fairly good shape. Hyrem pauses for a moment to look at the tag on the backpack, complete with photo ID... A little girl with a farmer's hat and a missing tooth in her wide grin looks back at Hyrem with eyes that are strangely familiar. Hyrem immediately shudders and drops the tag, trying not to think about whether or not her eyes matched a pair that Delilah fried back at the entrance. Fortunately, Hyrem is immediately distracted by his morbid thoughts; unfortunately, said distraction is an ominous movement from the large, shadowy object in the center of the room. A familiar voice echoes from the object:

"It seems as if the Frillish I gave you has indeed been useful... far too useful for my liking." An ominous cackle emanates from the shadow, which Hyrem can now make out to be a floating Mantine costume. "He was supposed to lead you to your death... stupid, frightened little thing... but I clearly underestimated his bravery." The Shadow moves closer to Hyrem, and the eyes from the walls begin shivering and detaching from the wall... They zoom towards the Mantine-like being, sticking to her felt exterior, dotting the costume like some sort of horrific accessory. Delilah immediately unleashes Flash at the Mantine, which seems to blind and disorient the eyes for the moment. "Mantine" uses her turn to continue speaking; "To see what your eyes have seen... To view this beautiful world from thousands of perspectives... That is my dream, my vision. Knowledge demands sacrifice! You fools have no IDEA what I've sacrificed! So dreadfully self-important, thinking your single, isolated existence is worth a DAMN! The collective... Oh, what we can do with the collective... All the sights of the world, seen by one being! If only you knew the value of this endeavor..."

The Frillish sneak through the shadows, hoping to land a sneak attack on the distracted "Mantine". Delilah, clearly demonstrating her disagreement with the insane "Mantine," unleashes a Confuse Ray; unfortunately, since the eyes are already blind, they are not affected by the additional ray of light. The Mantine herself, however, shines her black costume eyes toward Delilah. "INSOLENT FOOL," she shrieks, and all of the eyes together focus a Mean Look so powerful that Delilah is riveted to the very spot that she floats. Undeterred, she fires out a Thunder Wave, which makes contact with the tip of "Mantine's" left fin and spreads across at least 75% of the eyes on her body, making them both blind and paralyzed. "You think you can cripple me... but you're foolish to even try. Give up this foolish crusade, Hyrem... Yes, I can already see that beautiful, short life of yours, albeit dimly... Give up the trappings of consciousness, and become part of an expanse of knowledge that will change the world. With our sight, we will look upon the face of immortality."

As "Mantine" utters her final sentence, visions begin to flood Hyrem's mind; memories that belonged to other trainers, even other Pokemon, pass before Hyrem's eyes. A span of at least twenty years is captured by this multitude of memories. He suddenly feels as if he knows so much about the world... more than any one lifetime could provide. These lifetimes all connect, like pieces of a puzzle, in so many different ways. Hyrem is tempted by those connections, seduced by the idea that perhaps there is a secret hidden within each individual life that, when combined with other lives, is somehow revealed... What it Hyrem could be part of this immense world of knowledge and experience? He would no longer feel pain, or worry. He would be part of the greater collective. He could solve the mysteries of the -

"DON'T DO IT!" The female Frillish screams to Hyrem, snapping him out of his trance and giving away her position. The knowledge fades with the trance, and the vicious Mantine turns toward the pink Frillish, hissing violently. The blue Frillish unleashes a Bubble straight for the Mantine's eyes, which irritates a few of them, but does not seem to do a great deal of damage. The two Frillish immediately look to Hyrem, hoping that he will be able to help them.

You are limited to two orders per Pokemon. Both Frillish are at Lv. 6 and know moves that a Frillish would know at that level. They can also be ordered to "poke costume" or "poke wall" which will cause them to poke out eyes either in the wall or on the costume.

Best of luck to you in this upcoming battle.

With time being as precious a commodity as ever, Hyrem needed to focus on restoring Delilah's energy. Despite his waning vision, his eyes are easily able to zero in on the backpack with a bunch of Berries in it... all of them ruined. Oh no wait, my mistake, there was an Oran Berry and a Sitrus Berry that were still pretty good. But Hyrem was curious; who did this backpack belong to anyway? ...Ew, maybe he shouldn't have asked. He throws down the tag, unable to look at the picture with the familiar looking little girl on it any longer. Familiar looking eyes too. He hoped the Frillish didn't see the picture and that the girl's eyes weren't already destroyed.

Then a large shadow appeared in the center of the room. The shape? You guessed it: all too familiar.

"It seems as if the Frillish I gave you has indeed been useful... far too useful for my liking," the Mantine costume cackles.

Hyrem starts stepping back, shaking his head in disbelief. "You... No... No... No, you c-can't be..." he stutters, fear starting to well up inside him once again. He was expecting something with tentacles... Not her!

"He was supposed to lead you to your death... stupid, frightened little thing... but I clearly underestimated his bravery." she continues as she draws closer to Hyrem. Some of the eyes on the wall gravitate towards her body, and Hyrem continues to step back.

"But you... But Tuner... and T.A., they-" he started to say and gasped. He looked back towards the two corpses on the table; those faces were... also familiar. And their Pokemon... well, he hoped beyond hope that at least they were still safe somewhere. Delilah made sure to protect him while he was in his thoughts by Flashing a bright light at the eyes that were now merged with the costume. They may have become blinded by that for a moment, but the Harvester was undeterred and continues speaking:

"To see what your eyes have seen... To view this beautiful world from thousands of perspectives... That is my dream, my vision. Knowledge demands sacrifice! You fools have no IDEA what I've sacrificed! So dreadfully self-important, thinking your single, isolated existence is worth a DAMN! The collective... Oh, what we can do with the collective... All the sights of the world, seen by one being! If only you knew the value of this endeavor..."

While the Frillish sneak around to try and get a shot from behind, Delilah defiantly says, "Chou! Chin chou chou chin chou!! (No! You monster, you won't get away with this!!)" before unleashing a Confusing Ray on the eyes which, unfortunately, doesn't affect them due to them already being blinded earlier. The Harvester does take notice of the abnormally rebellious Chinchou. "INSOLENT FOOL," she screams before the eyes cast a powerful Mean Look spell that would keep Delilah from returning to her Pokeball, which didn't matter as much since the group was already past the point of no return. What did matter was that if Delilah lost consciousness, she would be vulnerable unless the Harvester was beaten which would be close to impossible without the Chinchou.

Realizing the stakes were raised, Delilah charged up electricity in her bulbs and lashed out with a Thunder Wave, starting from the left fin of the "costume" and reached three fourths of the eyes on it, paralyzing all of them in addition to their blindness. "You think you can cripple me..." says the Harvester, "but you're foolish to even try." Hyrem stares up at her, pocketing the Sitrus Berry in one of his hands, saving it for later, but keeping the Oran Berry in his other. "Give up this foolish crusade, Hyrem... Yes, I can already see that beautiful, short life of yours, albeit dimly... Give up the trappings of consciousness, and become part of an expanse of knowledge that will change the world."

"Change... the world..." Hyrem says involuntarily.

"With our sight," she says as the trainer starts seeing visions, "we will look upon the face of immortality."

Hyrem sees visions through the eyes of many trainers... some celebrating moments of glory... some taking in the bitter pills of defeat... some simply enjoying time with their Pokemon... training... playing... sleeping together... bonding... others dealing harsh realities to their Pokemon... abusing them... abandoning them...

He also sees life through many Pokemon's eyes... some with their dearly beloved trainers... some with trainers they hated... and some in the wild... some foraging for Berries, nuts, other fruits and plants... some hunting, stalking, and killing their unfortunate prey... some feeding off of the spiritual energies contained in physical, organic bodies... some biting into their favorite rock or mineral source... some requiring no sustenance at all...

There must be twenty years worth of memories in all of these visions! So much knowledge... Hyrem thought. All of these lives... All of the knowledge from each life... They all... connect somehow... And... Maybe by connecting these lives... we could unlock... so many mysteries... If I... put my life in there with them... I could help... reveal something too... No more pain... no more needs... I'd be a part of something... greater...

"DON'T DO IT!"

Hyrem immediately snaps out of the trance to see the pink Frillish staring at him and his friend, the blue Frillish, blow Bubbles at the enraged Mantine, whose eyes get irritated but not really damaged in any way. Now all eyes are on Hyrem--and I do mean all of them--and, without a doubt, he knows the path he must choose.

He slowly swims toward the Harvester, dropping the Oran Berry close to where Delilah was as he passed her, lowering his head towards the ground and closing his eyes, showing no emotion on his face.

"Chou... Chin chou! (No... please, don't!)" Delilah pleads sadly. She could hardly believe what her trainer looked like he was doing right now!

Once he was close enough he stopped in front of the Harvester's chest area and took a moment to say, "I'm so sorry... Delilah... everyone..." Suddenly he opened his eyes and thrust both of his hands forward in order to gouge out two of the eyes on the costume. "I'm ready to synch up and battle now," he then says with a look of determination on his face.

He withdraws his hands and moves back, putting himself in between Delilah and the Harvester. "Delilah, I want you to eat the Oran Berry on the ground; I'll protect you the best I can until you finish it. Then I'll move out of the way so you can Scald those eyes on the costume as much as you want!" He then calls toward the Frillish: "Frillish, both of you use Bubble on the eyes on the costume, then poke as many of them as you can!"

Then he looks back at the Harvester. "Sorry, lady, but I'm planning on taking my life back and living it so I can gain my own knowledge through my own experiences! I happen to be someone with much simpler needs than you have! And besides," he continues while clenching his fist, "you used us. You used those other Pokemon, you used these Frillish, you used Tuner and T.A., you... you used all of our feelings and bonds that we've created and shared!" Hyrem then points toward the many-eyed Mantine costume. "And for that, I can't forgive you! Your scheme ends now!!"

Dang, Hyrem is being so reckless right now, and at such a critical moment too! I really hope he knows what he's doing!

Claim: 1 Sitrus Berry

Also claiming the Oran Berry, but immediately using it on Delilah during the first round.

{Once again, I hope you don't mind me taking a ton of liberties here! But hey, it's all for the awesome factor, right? }

[Fireray]

Hey, all! I'm the newest Phantom Isle ZA, as I announced a bit ago, and here's my first set of updates! Sorry for the delay; my Internet access is slightly limited at the moment and I was trying to plan out the general outline of all your adventures, but I hope these updates are up to par. Additionally, I'm not going to be picking up any new intro posts, as there's been some shifting around of updatees and I might be picking up a couple more in a bit.

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you all replied in slategray and size 1 font, along with decent grammar, spelling, punctuation, the whole package, alright? :3 Cool! Off you go.

~!~

Fireray: You approach the Ghost Train boarding station, fear making you reluctant to board. Your Cyndaquil, on the other hand, can’t understand why it’s taking you so long to get anywhere near the attraction; he doesn’t seem to realize that the park is practically devoid of life and continues merrily leading the way. Eventually, the two of you make it to the station and you give Cyndaquil some last-minute instructions before you step onto the silent husk of a train, gingerly testing the floorboards before you shift your weight onto them.

You find yourself in a burnt-out train car and shiver at the sight of the blackened seats and charred inner walls; you could almost hear the crackling and roaring of the fire as it consumes everything in the car, muting the screams and cries of those caught inside. With a shake of your head, you glance around, trying to ignore the evidence of the fire and turning left when it becomes obvious that the right path was rendered inaccessible in the fire. You pick your way through the debris and ashes, scanning the cars as you pass through them; all of them show the marks of the fire. Charred walls, blackened seats, piles of soot… You pause for a moment, thinking you hear something unusual, and, after a moment, the sound comes again.

Giggling.

Confused and more than a little frightened, you glance around frantically, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from and what could be making it. It sounded like a little girl, but who would actually let a little girl play around in an abandoned, and reputedly haunted, park? A shadow darts past in the corner of your eye and your Cyndaquil tilts his head, watching its movements, before seeming to remember what he was supposed to do. He lets loose a cloud of Smoke, Screening everything from view and, unfortunately, you lose sight of everything in the billowing cloud. Out of the black mass comes a pair of red eyes, Leering at you, and, in your panic, you completely forget that you had ordered your starter to use those moves in the first place. You scramble madly for the exit, blind in the cloud of smoke, and the giggling starts up again, along with another somewhat-familiar sound. A crackling. A popping. A whoosh and the blast of heat in your face tells you exactly what’s making that sound.

Fire.

The giggling stops abruptly when the fire catches and a little girl’s frantic voice calls out to you. “Mister! Come this way! Hurry up, there’s a fire!” You’re blind, you’ve lost track of the exit, you don’t know where your Cyndaquil is, and there’s a fire in the same car as you.

What will you do?

'A burnt car for a ghost train. Wonder who spent their last minutes in here.
A crackling as if it were here. As if I'm going though time or a ghostly fire or a simluator of the event that shut the whole park down. It evne nearly feals like a cof....fin. Let's stop scaring myself' Fireray thought while his Cyndaquil was observing the surrondings looking for any sudden movemets.

Again there's evidence of a fire and giggling of the dead souls that still lie here. Wait another giggling and this time it seems very real. Fireray turning his head a bit disoriented trying to locate the source if the giggling. A dart past and Fireray neary had to scream like a small girl but kept it to himself. His vision became blurred and quitly cursed himself for give the fire mouse his orders.

Cyndaquil was disoriented losing sight of his trainer. Swallowing his pride he kept to his orders and saw another flicker of movement and lept to use Leer on it. Unfortently for Cyndaquil it was his trainer that now ran away from the train. Cyndaquil wanted to shout for his trainer where he might be still thinking he was on the train and stayed on it to see where it went....

Fireray was frantic to leave the train hoping that Cyndaquil was behind him. He could feel the warmth a flame maye Cyndaquils back? No, too big and to loud but that could mean it was a real fire. The giggling stop and the same little girl voice said:"Mister! Come this way! Hurry up, there’s a fire!” Was that girl a friend or a foe fireray thought quickly and decided to call out: "Where are? Where's my Pokemon? Where's the exit?" Fireray was scrambling himself to the source of the voice. 'A ghostly fire those mark shown wht was happening but the ghost sealed the sound, heat and finally the flames.' Fireray thought while regretting now that even came here.

[Takeo]

Hey, all! I'm the newest Phantom Isle ZA, as I announced a bit ago, and here's my first set of updates! Sorry for the delay; my Internet access is slightly limited at the moment and I was trying to plan out the general outline of all your adventures, but I hope these updates are up to par. Additionally, I'm not going to be picking up any new intro posts, as there's been some shifting around of updatees and I might be picking up a couple more in a bit.

Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you all replied in slategray and size 1 font, along with decent grammar, spelling, punctuation, the whole package, alright? :3 Cool! Off you go.



~!~



Takeo: You arrive at the Haunted Theme Park with your Vulpix by your side, though she seems a bit sleepy from the boat ride over, and enter the deserted amusement park rather fearlessly. A moment later, you freeze, feeling the many pairs of eyes watching your progress through the gate, but neither you nor Grace can figure out where they originate from. You try to laugh it off, but your starter can feel the gazes just as well as, if not better, than you can and she remains unconvinced. So do you, for that matter. Still, you continue further into the park, hoping to visit one of the many rollercoasters scattered throughout the theme park. The fog makes it easy to get lost and it turns out that the two of you ended up going the wrong way. However, confident in your ability to pull yourselves out of trouble, you walk on, eventually arriving at a brilliantly lit merry-go-round complete with sturdy, worn Pokemon to ride on. You waste no time in jumping on the ride, choosing an Arcanine and lifting Grace into your arms, and you ignore the little niggling feeling that maybe you shouldn’t have impulsively gotten on a ride in a deserted amusement park. It’s too late to change your mind, though, because, as soon as you’d gotten settled, the music crackles to life from somewhere near the middle of the merry-go-round and the ride begins moving on its own.

As the merry-go-round picks up speed, you begin catching shadows in the corner of your eye, whipping past while you circle around and around and around. They almost seem to be closing in on you every time you pass by and your gut feelings begin to scream at you to get off now. At the same moment, the screech of rusted metal reaches your ears and suddenly you realize that your Arcanine steed is sinking into the floor, the other Pokemon gradually getting taller and taller the longer you stay on. You try to tug your hand off the pole, but it’s almost like it’s glued to the rod because it doesn’t move no matter how much you struggle; you find you can’t shift in your seat either, but at least your Vulpix is in no danger of falling off the Arcanine.

Shadows fall over you and you find that you are now eye-level with the floor, still sinking and getting quicker by the second. As your head sinks below the merry-go-round’s floor, you briefly catch eerie laughter rising from around the ride, as though an audience has been eagerly watching you struggle. Some sort of panel slides across the top and cuts off the sound before you can retort, but it’s pretty much pitch-black now. It feels like you’re still descending, though, so the only reasonable thing you can do now is sit and wait.

Eventually, you feel the circling slow and another metal screech coupled with a brief jerk finally signals the end of the ride. Relieved to be able to move freely again, you dismount the Arcanine and glance around, but the darkness is still preventing you from seeing much. It doesn’t stop your ears from picking up the whispering of things moving in the dark or the feeling of wind as they move about, though, and you flinch as something brushes against your shoulder. However, there seems to be a brightening of the blackness surrounding you in, what you can only assume is, the forward direction.

What will you do?

Hallow ignored the nagging feeling that maybe he shouldn’t have impulsively gotten on a ride in a deserted amusement park,
but what could possibly go wrong?, he thought,
the music crackled to life from somewhere near the middle of the merry-go-round and the ride began to move on its own.
And for a few short seconds, they were having the time of their lives.

As the merry-go-round picked up speed,
Grace started to hiss and bark furiously,
"Whats wrong girl?," he asked,

Hallow then caught glances of shadows in the corner of his eye, whipping past as they circled around and around and around. They almost seemed to be closing in on them every time he whirled by, his gut feeling screaming at him to get off now!.
"No one else is suppose to be here,"

At the same time, a loud screech of rusted metal reached his ears and suddenly he realized that his Arcanine steed was sinking into the floor, the other Pokemon gradually getting taller and taller the longer he stayed on.
"Whats going on!,"
An eerie feeling plunged down his stomach, and suddenly he felt sick,

He tried to pull his hands off the pole, but it was almost as if they were glued to the rod, because no matter how much he struggled they just wouldn't budge; he found he also couldn’t shift in his seat either,
the only relief this brought was, Vulpix was in no danger of falling off the Arcanine.

Shadows fell over him and he found that he was now at eye-level with the floor, still sinking and getting quicker by the second. As his head sunk below the merry-go-round’s floor, he briefly caught eerie maniacal laughter rising from around the ride, as though an audience had been eagerly watching him struggle.
What kinda sick joke is this,
A panel slid across the top, cutting off the sound before he could retort, his line of vision was pitch-black now.
It felt like he was still descending, still circling, he just sat there doing nothing.
Vuplix gave a cry, "Vul...," to show her distress,
"I know, Grace, I know," he ran his fingers through his hair to try to keep her calm,

Eventually, he felt the circling slow and another metal screech coupled with a brief jerk finally signaled the end of the ride. Relieved to be able to move freely again, he got off the steed and looked around but the darkness prevented them from seeing much of anything. All was not lost, with the loss sight came a heightened sense of hearing, and what he heard where whispers, whispers of things moving in the dark, and the whistling of wind,

"Hello?...," he asked,
"Is anyone there?,"
he hoped for a response,
but nothing,

He flinched as something brushed against his shoulder,
he turned,
"Who's there?!,"
Heart racing, breathing heavy,
What have I got myself into,

Hallow took a deep breath, and thought back to the shadow's and their laughter,
He wouldn't give in to them, he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing him in distress,
He tightly hugged Grace in his arms, terrified at the idea of them getting separated,
"Vul...,"
"We'll get through this," he assured her,

He lifted his head, there, he saw a bright white light in the blackness that surrounded them,
what he could only hope was a guiding light that lead to the end of the tunnel, they marched.


[Stats.]

[Meetan]

Meetan- As if Alice's phobia of fire types wasn't bad enough, coming inches away from being mauled by a Houndoom most assuredly made that now semi-rational fear worse! Even so, Alice knew that she needed to strengthen the bond she has with her Torchic, despite his typing. After all, unlike the vicious Houndoom, Torchic was kind and loyal to his trainer, even so far as to be considered her "cheerleader" of sorts. Perhaps as if to validate to herself that not all fire types are worthy of fear, Alice immediately calls out her Torchic to deal with the Purrloin while Rapid viciously beats on the Houndoom that dare attack her new best friend. "Mongrel, yer' gonna be beggin' for scraps in HELL!" She screams, STOMPing the Houndoom into submission. As Rapid knocks the Houndoom out of commission, more howls can be heard in the distance... Rapid immediately stands guard, wordlessly communicating to Alice that she will deal with the other Houndoom while Alice battles the Liepard.

Liepard begins the battle by Growling ominously at the Torchic; while the move is certainly intimidating, Torchic refuses to back down. He Focuses his Energy to begin the battle, pumping up for his next attack. Liepard, seeing how the Torchic is focusing, counters with a Sand Attack in order to foil the little chick Pokemon's plan for a critical hit. Torchic cries out as the sand burns his eyes, and flaps his wings wildly in the moment of disorientation, but quickly composes himself and refocuses. His Agility gives him a major speed boost, but the Liepard is quick to Torment him. She says something in Liepard equivalent to, "HAH, still not attacking? What a chicken! I bet those are the only moves you know." Falling for the torment in a manner similar to Swinub in his fight with the Purrloin, Torchic puffs out his chest and chirps that he will prove just how well-trained he is! Alice has a feeling that he will reject any attempts to repeat the same move twice... probably for about 3 rounds. Both Pokemon are still at full health; Torchic is looking fast and focused, but he is currently blinded by the sand.

Two Houndoom jump out of the bushes at Rapid, but she is quick to react to them both. Their battle rages on, and it seems as if Rapid is impervious to damage... Her metal body serves as a strong armor against the Houndooms' claws and fangs. As she STOMPs her heart out, Alice can't help but wonder if that's the only move that the mechanical Rapidash knows...

What will Alice and Torchic do?

Alice seethed, frustrated. She had fallen for that silly trick again, and should have thought better of it, but with fighting all around her, she was feeling distracted. "Don't take her crap, Torchic, we can do this!" She called encouragingly, just as willing to cheer on him as he did her (albeit on request). "Use your Mud Slap and Featherdance - two can play at the stats game! Then use Ember to try and clear the sand from your ees!" The teenager ordered, watching her little bird puff out his chest and get ready for battle. She was worried about the sand in his eyes, but maybe with all the dancing and jumping around, he might be able to clear some of his vision, and perhaps upping his temperature might do the rest?

((Stats.))

[tau]

((Since one of our PI updaters has been declared inactive, I am officially welcoming kaisap and Emp into my group. I hope you both continue to have a great time in Phantom Isle~!))

kaisap112, tau- ((Since you are both in my first official joint adventure, I just want to mention a couple of things:

-Two attacks per Pokemon per round are permitted in battles where both of you are participating. If only one individual is participating in battle, he or she may order up to three attacks per Pokemon per round.

-If one of you has responded to an update and the other has not, the person who responded will have to wait for the other person to respond before both you will be included in the next update. If one of you goes inactive or will be missing for a certain amount of time, it will be your responsibility to inform both me and your adventure buddy of your absence. I don't see this being a problem with you guys, but I figure I might as well through that one out there.

-Try to utilize interaction as much as possible. That's what makes joint adventuring fun~!

So, without further ado, let's get this adventure going, shall we?))

A crew of normal Pokemon (well... normal TYPE, anyhow) and their young trainers run toward Salty Sam's Pirate Ship, creating quite the distinctive lineup. Leading the pack is a furry, striped bandit named Nook, who approaches the attraction at full-speed upon noticing a shiny object that would be perfect for his collection. Close behind is Banzai, an energetic Meowth who bounds behind Nook, hoping that the Zigzagoon has spotted something that will lead to an exciting aventure, full of interesting things to do. Their trainer, Quinn, follows close behind, dragging his female partner, Noriko, who appears decidedly less enthusiastic about the amusement park ride than the companions ahead of her. Atop her head, Kitty the Skitty is having no part in this race to the attraction, lounging lazily as her trainer does the traveling for her. The young woman, Noriko, moodily thinks to herself that this is going to be a loooong trip, but fortunately for her, the trip to Salty Sam's is relatively short, especially considering the near-endless supply of energy that Quinn and his Pokemon seem to have.

The lobby for Salty Sam's, unlike most of the amusement park rides, is completely outdoors, and is mostly comprised of the typical, winding line found at must amusement park rides, demarcated by metal poles with ribbon between them. On either side of the line are various statues of water Pokemon dressed to look like pirates: a pirate Charizard guards a pile of gold coins and plastic human pirate bones, while a Pirate Scyther brandishes his blades like swords at a Pirate Blastoise, whose cannons are aimed at the Scyther. Posters advertise Salty Sam and his swashbuckling Pokemon, who sail the seven seas with nary a care. Salty Sam himself is depicted in one of the statues as having a long, weathered black beard, a crooked grin and a formidable pirate hat and coat, complete with obligatory peg-leg and hook-hand. Noriko and Quinn can't shake the feeling that the statue of Salty Sam is somehow looking at them...

Meanwhile, Nook, who is at the head of the pack, easily scurries under the ropes (with Banzai following close behind), and heads right for the shiny object he saw from afar; even in the darkness, the group can see the gleam of some sort of large coin that appears to have been dropped in the middle of the line. Before Nook can take the shiny of his dreams, however, a Murkrow swoops down and snatches the golden object away before the poor Zigzagoon can so much as sniff it; as if to add insult to injury, the Murkrow follows up on this nasty thievery by Pecking poor Nook on the head! The Zigzagoon howls in pain as the Murkrow flies off, vanishing into the darkness.

The pair of trainers has a few options. They could try to help Nook search for the Murkrow that took his shiny, or they could try and take a look around the attraction and find another shiny to replace it. After all, a coin that big isn't likely to be real... or is it?

How will Quinn and Noriko react?

Well thank you kindly for the warm welcome.


Quinn dropped to one knee to check on Nook, who had apparently shrugged off the pain of the attack- but not his indignity at having his shiny taken away. The little Zigzagoon hopped in place, seemingly distraught at the outrage of the whole event, his eyes darting from the receding Murkrow to Quinn and back in a pleading manner. Even Banzai seemed perturbed by the whole thing, the fur on his back raised as he stared after the retreating bird.

Quinn sighed, looking to Noriko, rising back to his feet. "Well, didn't see that coming. Still, I don't think-" he began, until being cut off by Nook once more rushing off without him. He turned after the Pokemon, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "Wait! Would you stop doing that please!"

His entreaty seemed ineffective. "Banzai, go try to keep an eye on him, would you?" He asked, sending the Meowth after Nook. "Welp. Noriko, my dear, you wanted adventure right? Seems like we've just been handed one. Come on, we need to go rein him in," he added to his friend. He would- pending her approval with his proposed course of action- take off once more, chasing down the Meowth who was chasing down the Zigzagoon who was chasing down the Murkrow who had started the whole trouble.

[Balmund]

Balmund- Balmund recalls Durandal to his pokeball, allowing him to rest after his stunning victory and convincing "performance". In a move that both saves time and completely amazes the crowd around him, the dragon tamer calls out an impressive fossil Pokemon, which immediately elicits cheers, oohs and aahs from the crowd still gathered. Aerodactyls have always been incredibly rare, especially in the time period in which Balmund and William find themselves due to the fact that DNA extraction and fossil revival was even more expensive comparatively, and the sight of a long-extinct prehistoric creature is just the right finale to their show. William's awestruck expression clearly reveals his excitement upon seeing such a rare and powerful creature; even the proud Averil stares at Kurth with mouth agape in clear awe and amazement. "Holy s**t," is all William manages to utter before snapping himself out of his bewilderment long enough to give Averil a quick pat on the nose, recall her back to her pokeball and join Balmund in mounting Kurth for what promises to be an exciting flight. Though Kurthnaga is hoping for the adrenaline rush of battle to get his blood pumping, Balmund shouts to his Pokemon that there is no time to explain, and he needs to Fly the two men away immediately. Kurth nods in deference to his trainer's wishes, and takes off with incredible speed and power, much to the delight of the parkgoers who wave and clap in an appreciative goodbye.

"Where th'Hell did you find an AERODACTYL, Duke? This is f*****g incredible!! I bet you get all the ladies with this bad boy at your side," William exclaims with an invigorated laugh as Kurth climbs up, up, up... high in the sky. "Remember to tell 'im to go right to the Ghost Train. The sooner we cut them off, the better. Well, cut us off would be the better way t'say it... I'm tryin' to find myself, and not in the crappy self-help book way, either." The weathered ex-gangster takes a deep breath. "I gotta come clean with you, Duke. Today... today is about t'become the worst day of my life. I have revisited these moments so many times in my memory, it's like all these years have passed, and yet I never got out of here. I never left this f*****g park." William's eyes burn with resolution. "We're rewriting the story of that day, Duke. I'm already liking this version better. Plus, I always wanted t' ride an Aerodactyl... Guess that's one life goal down, huh?"

William carefully balances himself on Kurthnaga in order to reach into his backpack; after some moments of searching, he pulls out a weathered photograph of a tough-looking young man with a giant grin on his face, giving a little black-haired girl no older than four or five a piggyback ride. The girl's own grin appears to be a smaller version of the man's, and she clings to him as a only a daughter would. William hands the photograph to Balmund, and he immediately realizes that the young man in the picture is a younger version of William himself. "These are our targets," William says with a dark grin. "A stupid man and his lovely daughter. We have to prevent the stupid man from letting his daughter onto that Ghost Train by any means necessary." William chuckles a bit. "My first plan was to run at my former self screamin', 'DON'T DO THIS! I AM FROM THE FUTURE,' but considering how fast the damn minions managed to find us, even when we WEREN'T drawing attention to ourselves, I'm thinkin' twice about that one..."

After a long pause, William locks eyes with Balmund.. "It's clear to me that you know how to lie... Don't take it like I'm makin' a moral judgment or anythin' like that, but you sure as Hell convinced those audience members that you were a real performer. I think what we might need is a brilliant lie... Somethin' to get my lil' gal Kaida off that train. F**k, I'll straight-up kidnap her if I have to... I don't care what young William does to me. It would be worth it." William shakes his head, his body visibly shaking with emotion, much as William tries to hide it in his expression. "That said... Maybe you got some ideas, Duke."

The Ghost Train attraction looms in the distance, though it is clear that Kurthnaga is quickly closing in. One hour and twenty five minutes remain until the train leaves the Main Station.

How does Balmund respond?

"Thanks! Gotta say, Kurth does help when it comes to the ladies. It's a shame my Seviper tends to scare them away!" Balmund responds with just as hearty a laughter to the clearly thrilled ex-gangster. "I had literally won the lottery once, and after speaking with a few contacts, and after making a few risky investments, this fellah finally came into my custody. I'm kinda broke now though... my fortune went down the drain fueling up a few nasty addictions of mine. Kinda wishing I could go back in time and punch myself in the face for that. Know what I mean?" Balmund chuckled, though his expression showed a certain glint of wistfulness in his eyes.

William then takes the opportunity to remind Balmund to head straight towards the Ghost Train before coming clean about his real intentions. He was on a mission to stop his stupid young self from letting his lovely daughter board the infamous Ghost Train. He needed to divert her from riding on top of it at all costs, be it through a well-elaborated lie, or by force if necessary, and he asked Balmund for his help on that matter. Whatever plan they cook up, it had to be good, lest they find themselves facing even more enemies before they amount to anything.

Balmund sunk into deep thought as he contemplated the picture and listened to William's words. A part of him wondered if things would even work out like William wanted. William was here because of this tragic event. He couldn't possibly be here if that event did not came into existance; it would create paradox. Would the present really twist by altering the events in the past, or would it simply branch off into a new reality were Kaila and William are both safe and together whereas this William is still left alone and hurting. Would he be happy with that, knowing that at least he saved her? Balmund wondered how long has William been carrying with this burden. The sleepless nights, the nightmares, the constant weighing on both his heart and soul. All he had left really, was hope, Balmund gathered. Perhaps William had already thought of all this, but Balmund figured it was something that had to be done, if only to finally achieve some closure to this emotionally draining trauma.

"I can think of a few ideas." He then answered. "Say William, how mistrusting and cynical is your former self? You think you would've agreed to have both yourself and your daughter ride an Aerodactyl and a Salamence from a complete stranger? Gathering from what I've seen of you, I'd bet the past you would be thrilled. We don't have to pretend to be part of the park's staff either. I would just be a kind dragon tamer who would gladly make the dream of a dragon enthusiast and his cute daughter come true. Before they know it, I'd be flying them off far away and into safety. They'd have the ride of a lifetime too!"

"Other than that however, I'm thinking of more radical measures. I'm sure you, more than most, know that sometimes you can't be the hero, but rather you must be the villain in order to truly help others. Can you see where I'm going with this? I want to wreck the Ghost Train, William. Consequences be damned, that train must not ever leave that station again, or else many more will die. I bet you're not the only parent who lost a son or daughter today. Knowing what it feels like, don't you want to do something about it? That said, I'm sure we will meet heavy resistance... we might die for sure... but hey, whatever it takes, right? I'll leave the choice to you man. What will we do?"

[Shadowshocker]

ShadowShocker- Shadow considers what Pyrrhos has to say. The prospect of actually speaking with a ghost is certainly exciting, though even with Pyrrhos as a guide and guardian, it is also an undertaking likely to be rife with danger. Shadow immediately decides against a task involving extermination, as two ladybirds, one of which already exhausted from battle, may not be enough ammo to clear out a giant nest or gathering of Pokemon. The shop owner could likely generously compensate any wayward soul who helps her out, meaning that she will not be at a shortage for hired hands; this left the final specter, who intrigues Shadow the most of all three spirits seeking help. Who was this strange woman who was seeking help from anyone who will listen, but not receiving it from anyone? She certainly sounded the most in need, and the most desperate. Certainly, her quest may end up being the most challenging, as no one seemed to want to waste their time with whatever she required, but the prospect of a difficult task only makes Shadow want to help this mysterious woman even more. With his decision made, the scientist relays his decision to Pyrrhos. The Chandelure nods his luminous head thoughtfully, but does not seem to react much more than that.

"This way, then," he says, ushering Shadow towards what appears to be a locked set of double doors. "STAFF ONLY" is plastered in huge on the concrete frame; Pyrrhos whips out a small key (though where he was storing it before is a mystery to Shadow) and jams it into the side of the door; with some effort, he unlocks the double doors and opens them for Shadow and his companions. Shadow curiously peers inside, and sees that the room appears to contain a small staff elevator. Pyrrhos proceeds to unlock the caged front of the elevator, and motions for Shadow to step inside. Certainly, the elevator looks nowhere near as nice as the one out in the lobby, but at least this one looks decidedly more sturdy... In a hotel this old and dilapidated, reliability certainly took precedent over appearance. Shadow steps into the elevator with his two companions, and Pyrrhos follows, closing the door behind them. Punching in the button labeled "3," the group rises two floors, stopping as the illumated "3" button fizzles out, and the door opens. Shadow and the Pokemon who have taken residence on his shoulders now find themselves in a seemingly empty corridor lined with guest rooms, though Shadow makes a mental note that just because the place appears empty doesn't necessarily mean that's truly the case. Indeed, as Pyrrhos floats down the dark corridor, his light travels much farther than in the lobby, and Shadow can occasionally see the passing ghosts illuminated by the light. Most disturbing was when they would stop to take a good look at Shadow... their glares were far intense than any mortal stare, and Shadow often finds himself feeling uncomfortable with their occasionally vicious glares. Fortunately, with Pyrrhos about, the spirits seem hesitant to attack, but Shadow wonders if he would have been so lucky without such powerful guardianship...

Eventually, even without the illumination of Pyrrhos, the sound of sobbing becomes progressively more audible as the group travels down the corridor. Between sobs, a woman's voice can be heard; "Please, please help meee... Help me... help me find my little Joy. Sir, please..."

As Pyrrhos approaches, a man in his late twenties is illuminated by Pyrrhos' flickering lights, smoking a cigar and looking angrily down at someone or something. His pinstripe suit and smart-looking hat are reminiscent of an earlier time. "Look, lady, we all got people we're missin'. Even if you did find this Joy a'yours, it'd run screamin' from ya. Comes with the territory, y'dig? Get over it and find yourself a... a Duskull'r somethin'! Now get out of my way."

The man stomps off, leaving the woman weeping. As Pyrrhos approaches, she also becomes illuminated; her long, blond hair droops over her face, which is covered by her palms, as she sobs. "You... you don't understand... Ohhhh-" She moans rather horrifically, and Shadow soon realizes that this woman may be holding her face for more reasons than just catching falling tears.... Her hands and face are clearly covered in blood, and Shadow finds himself inwardly hoping that she does not remove her hands to give Shadow a better look at what is likely the wound that caused her current state of existence. Her torn jeans and tight-fitting pink top suggest a more recent death. She even appears to have a relatively modern-looking Pokedex sticking out of her ragged purse. In life, she may have passed for one of those trainers often referred to as "Beauties".

"Pyrrhos... Have you come to help me...?" The woman's voice lights up with a hint of hope.

"I have brought you a man who is eager to give you the help that you need!" Pyrrhos gently but firmly pushes Shadow forward towards the creepy woman.

"You will? Oh, wonderful... I know she is in the park somewhere! She... she died here some years ago. I came all this way looking for her. I... I really hope you will help me! I will be so sad if you won't... so very, very sad..." Something in her voice suggests that there might be a bit of a threatening undercurrent beginning to form at the thought of Shadow deciding not to help her after all. If the scientist truly wishes to help this woman, he might want to consider showing his interest by asking her some questions... Though she does not remove her hands from her face, she does move a bit to get some of the hair away from her bloody ear, which appears to have been mostly bitten off by some sort of vicious Pokemon... Still, she seems quite capable of listening with it, despite its current state.

How does Shadow react?

The sight of the deceased girl sent a few startled sparks down Shadow's spine, though she seemed to greatly affect the two birds on his shoulder as they flapped their wings in horrified alarm. Though grim-faced as she always was, Dahlia looked like she was a bout to pass out. Scherza, on the other hand, chose the inopportune moment to scream, "He's already dead! He's already deaaaaaaaad!. Placing comforting hands on their foreheads Shadow proceeded to initiate thought processes. The Beauty had clearly perished within a recent date as evidenced by her modern clothing and electronic index, positioning her within his own era of a lifetime. Her preoccupation with locating her lost, dead Pokemon was clear; the obsession was likely not only keeping her anchored to the location, but also preventing her from spiritually advancing - to the point she was likely to use fatal force if Shadow refused her offer. Was she conscious of her deceased state or was her final urge communicating her desires for in her stead?

Shadow thought back to the few bits of information the Beauty had offered. The Pokemon in question had passed away in the same fairground years ago, likely after the incident that caused Phantom Isle's collapse. Oddly enough... why had she only returned to the fairground years after her Pokemon's demise? Somehow it didn't make sense to only come back years after the original incident when investigations and other relevant courses of action would logically have taken place. What species was "Joy", anyway? Wouldn't recognition kick in and allow both Trainer and Pokemon to reunite? And what happened to the Beauty, anyway - had the injury to her ear been crippling to the point that she died before medical attention could be brought to her? The scientist hoped that he hadn't made a bad decision - Pyrrhos had nudged him somewhat strongly to suggest that there was likely more to this retrieval mission than met the eye... so to speak.

"I'm willing to help. But I need you to provide me with the information I need," he told the weeping woman. "I need a physical description of Joy, as visually detailed as you can give me. I also require information about the incidents surrounding your deaths. As in both you, and Joy. I'll only be able to help if you can give us something to go on."

[kaisap112]

((Since one of our PI updaters has been declared inactive, I am officially welcoming kaisap and Emp into my group. I hope you both continue to have a great time in Phantom Isle~!))

kaisap112, tau- ((Since you are both in my first official joint adventure, I just want to mention a couple of things:

-Two attacks per Pokemon per round are permitted in battles where both of you are participating. If only one individual is participating in battle, he or she may order up to three attacks per Pokemon per round.

-If one of you has responded to an update and the other has not, the person who responded will have to wait for the other person to respond before both you will be included in the next update. If one of you goes inactive or will be missing for a certain amount of time, it will be your responsibility to inform both me and your adventure buddy of your absence. I don't see this being a problem with you guys, but I figure I might as well through that one out there.

-Try to utilize interaction as much as possible. That's what makes joint adventuring fun~!

So, without further ado, let's get this adventure going, shall we?))

A crew of normal Pokemon (well... normal TYPE, anyhow) and their young trainers run toward Salty Sam's Pirate Ship, creating quite the distinctive lineup. Leading the pack is a furry, striped bandit named Nook, who approaches the attraction at full-speed upon noticing a shiny object that would be perfect for his collection. Close behind is Banzai, an energetic Meowth who bounds behind Nook, hoping that the Zigzagoon has spotted something that will lead to an exciting aventure, full of interesting things to do. Their trainer, Quinn, follows close behind, dragging his female partner, Noriko, who appears decidedly less enthusiastic about the amusement park ride than the companions ahead of her. Atop her head, Kitty the Skitty is having no part in this race to the attraction, lounging lazily as her trainer does the traveling for her. The young woman, Noriko, moodily thinks to herself that this is going to be a loooong trip, but fortunately for her, the trip to Salty Sam's is relatively short, especially considering the near-endless supply of energy that Quinn and his Pokemon seem to have.

The lobby for Salty Sam's, unlike most of the amusement park rides, is completely outdoors, and is mostly comprised of the typical, winding line found at must amusement park rides, demarcated by metal poles with ribbon between them. On either side of the line are various statues of water Pokemon dressed to look like pirates: a pirate Charizard guards a pile of gold coins and plastic human pirate bones, while a Pirate Scyther brandishes his blades like swords at a Pirate Blastoise, whose cannons are aimed at the Scyther. Posters advertise Salty Sam and his swashbuckling Pokemon, who sail the seven seas with nary a care. Salty Sam himself is depicted in one of the statues as having a long, weathered black beard, a crooked grin and a formidable pirate hat and coat, complete with obligatory peg-leg and hook-hand. Noriko and Quinn can't shake the feeling that the statue of Salty Sam is somehow looking at them...

Meanwhile, Nook, who is at the head of the pack, easily scurries under the ropes (with Banzai following close behind), and heads right for the shiny object he saw from afar; even in the darkness, the group can see the gleam of some sort of large coin that appears to have been dropped in the middle of the line. Before Nook can take the shiny of his dreams, however, a Murkrow swoops down and snatches the golden object away before the poor Zigzagoon can so much as sniff it; as if to add insult to injury, the Murkrow follows up on this nasty thievery by Pecking poor Nook on the head! The Zigzagoon howls in pain as the Murkrow flies off, vanishing into the darkness.

The pair of trainers has a few options. They could try to help Nook search for the Murkrow that took his shiny, or they could try and take a look around the attraction and find another shiny to replace it. After all, a coin that big isn't likely to be real... or is it?

How will Quinn and Noriko react?

Noriko shivered at the sight of the pirate-statues, of Pokémon and human alike. She could get a bit paranoid sometimes and Salty Sam’s eyes on her didn’t help keep the feeling at bay. Kitty then pointed Noriko’s attention to Nook, Banzai and something shiny…that was abruptly taken away by a Murkrow with a Peck on Nook's head. To the young woman it almost seemed like the bird was laughing at them as it flew into the distance with the shiny thing. “Murkrow? What’s next, a pack of Absol? Mirrors breaking, perhaps? How many years of bad luck are we gathering already?” She understood that Quinn couldn’t have seen it coming. Before he could even finish his thought on the matter, Nook was rushing off after the Murkrow and his precious Shiny.

"Wait! Would you stop doing that please!” Quinn gave a fine attempt at getting Nook to stop – but it didn’t either reach Nook or Nook simply ignored him. Noriko let out a small giggle while Quinn sent Banzai after the dangerously curious Zigzagoon. “Banzai, go try to keep an eye on him, would you?" Kitty suddenly got curious, swinging her tail from left to right. Noriko grabbed the kitten immediately by the waist to keep her still. “You just stay right there. We don’t need any more Pokémon going MIA.” She shivered at the mere idea of her sweet Skitty ending up somewhere horrible in a spooky place like this. These two were made for tea parties and comfortable schoolwork, not for dangerous adventures! But Quinn had wanted to go and she just couldn’t say no.

"Welp. Noriko, my dear, you wanted adventure right? Seems like we've just been handed one. Come on, we need to go rein him in." Queen dashed after Nook and Banzai. Noriko sighed before following not too far behind, Kitty still hanging on her hair, meowling happily at the prospect of adventure. “You know Quinn, I figured what I’ll get Nook for Christmas! A very tight leash!”

[myahoo]

Tyoyo3131: Alright. I’ll keep that in mind. Also, please bold the attack name next time.

The depressed moth making for a terrible watch guard, you find yourself having to point out the existence of another set of footsteps before he does anything, but it’s unclear whether he completely thought out his next move, as he unleashes a Blizzard within the circular confines of the helter-skelter. As you rush up the stairs with the Dustox speeding ahead of you, the blizzard ends up following the curve of the attraction to come back and buffet you, quickly dropping the temperature to chilling levels. At least you aren’t the only one to suffer from the whirling ice crystals now speeding along, as a screech sounds out behind you; looks like that Blizzard did its job then.

A moment later, you burst out of the spinning wind and ice, finding the outside air much warmer and more soothing to your skin, though the atmosphere hasn’t changed a bit. Severus floats ahead of you, having come out of the storm quicker than you, and you can tell he’s a little sheepish. You glance back down the stairs as the Blizzard blows itself out, a Misdreavus coming into view as the wind and ice settles. The Ghost Pokemon glares at you and Severus, angry that you’d ruined its fun, before fading into invisibility. As you turn towards the top of the slide, you are satisfied to find no second pair of footsteps trail behind yours.

Next to the top of the slide, a pile of empty sacks sits drearily on top of several black mats, all looking like they were pushed to the side in preparation for the next day’s crowd, only to be forgotten. A glance down the slide shows that it’d probably be a rough, and probably uncomfortable, ride if you slide down without anything between you and the attraction’s surface. Something that may be an unsettled feeling niggles at the back of your mind as you look down the slide.

What will you do?

~!~

Fireray: Mmm, I’ll let it slide this time, but try to fix up your next reply. You’ve got some spelling mistakes that could be easily fixed if you just re-read your reply or if you type up your response in a word processor before posting it.

Having lost sight of your Cyndaquil and with only a little girl’s voice to guide you, you call back to her, hoping for some answers and already regretting your decision to come here. In return, she tells you, “This way; over here!” and this time you can tell that her voice is coming from deeper inside the train. “I dunno where your Pokemon is, but the fire’s already blocked off the exit. If you don’t hurry, it’s going to get you, too!”

You hesitate, still not sure whether you can trust the little girl, but something suddenly runs intothe backs of your legs, making you stumble. You look down and see an Eevee, shaking its head to clear it, before it leaps back up to its feet and runs on, obviously panicked. Suddenly, the sounds of panicking people and Pokemon bombard your ears and you find yourself looking into a compartment full of other trainers, all hurrying in the same direction you’d heard the little girl’s voice. Outside, the sky is now a bright blue and you catch glimpses of colorful flags and tents, along with crowds of people. Behind you, the crackling gets louder and you realize the carriage is empty, the one ahead quickly becoming as abandoned as yours. You think you might have seen someone pick up a small Pokemon in the crowd ahead of you, a glimpse of beige and navy giving you a suspicion as to who it might be.

What will you do?

~!~

Takeo:
In the darkness below the merry-go-round, you and your Vulpix are almost blind, though your other senses strain to make up for the loss. Still, the brightening of the darkness gives you a way forward and you take it, trying not to notice how your current situation is almost like those accounts of near-death experiences you may have heard about.

As you walk on, you continue to pick up those shifting, whispering sounds of things moving beyond what you can see and the increasing brightness of your path doesn’t seem to deter those noise-makers. Once or twice, you catch sight of something moving in the corner of your eyes, but, when you turn to look, nothing’s there. It also doesn’t help that some of the shadows seem to be following you, while others keep pace along the walls of the hallway you can now see. The occasional cackle and snicker makes you shiver, feeling chills race all over your body, and you’re tempted to have Grace light the hall up with her attacks.

At least, until you come to an intersection. It’s brightly-lit and the shadows keep to the edges of the room, hovering in the shadows of the four corridors stretching out from the room. Now it’s obvious that you’re in the middle of a maze and you have no clue where the exit is or even if there is an exit. There are three paths in front of you and the one you just came from, all the same from what you can see, though the one you came from looks much darker than the others. Scuttling sounds come from the one on the left and a breeze brushes past you from straight ahead; the one on the right is almost ominously silent, but it’s also the brightest one there.

What will you do?

[Takeo]

~!~

Takeo:
In the darkness below the merry-go-round, you and your Vulpix are almost blind, though your other senses strain to make up for the loss. Still, the brightening of the darkness gives you a way forward and you take it, trying not to notice how your current situation is almost like those accounts of near-death experiences you may have heard about.

As you walk on, you continue to pick up those shifting, whispering sounds of things moving beyond what you can see and the increasing brightness of your path doesn’t seem to deter those noise-makers. Once or twice, you catch sight of something moving in the corner of your eyes, but, when you turn to look, nothing’s there. It also doesn’t help that some of the shadows seem to be following you, while others keep pace along the walls of the hallway you can now see. The occasional cackle and snicker makes you shiver, feeling chills race all over your body, and you’re tempted to have Grace light the hall up with her attacks.

At least, until you come to an intersection. It’s brightly-lit and the shadows keep to the edges of the room, hovering in the shadows of the four corridors stretching out from the room. Now it’s obvious that you’re in the middle of a maze and you have no clue where the exit is or even if there is an exit. There are three paths in front of you and the one you just came from, all the same from what you can see, though the one you came from looks much darker than the others. Scuttling sounds come from the one on the left and a breeze brushes past you from straight ahead; the one on the right is almost ominously silent, but it’s also the brightest one there.

What will you do?

In the darkness below the merry-go-round, Hallow and Grace were almost blind, though his other senses strained to make up for the loss. Still, the brightening of the darkness gave them a way forward and he gladly took it, he tried not to notice how his current situation was almost like those accounts of near-death experiences he had heard about in the news. But his mind wouldn't let him think of anything else.

As he walked, he continued to pick up those shifting, whispering sounds,

"Why don't you just show yourselves!," he bellowed,
"Or are you just too afraid!," he said, trying to hide his own true feelings of being scared,

The things moved beyond what Hallow's line of vision allowed, despite the increasing brightness of his path, the whispers and shifting didn't seem to want to stop.

Once or twice, he caught sight of something moving in the corner of his eyes, but, when he turned to look, nothing was there.
Some shadows followed from behind, while others kept pace along the walls of the hallway Hallow now could see.
The occasional cackle and snicker made him shiver, chills ran down his spine and goosebumps covered his body,
Hallow grit his teeth, I'm nothing more then trapped prey,
he was tempted to have Grace light the hall up with her attacks, but there was no point in angering the shadows, at least not yet,

He came to an intersection. It was brightly-lit and the shadows kept to the edges of the room, hovering in the shadows of the four corridors stretched out from the room. Now it was obvious that he was in the middle of a maze and he had no clue where the exit was or even if there was an exit.
There were three paths in front of him and the one he had just came from, all the same from what he could see, though the one he came from looked to be much darker than the others. Scuttling sounds came from the one on the left and a breeze brushed past him from straight ahead; the one on the right was almost ominously silent, but it was also the brightest one there.

Hallow found comfort in knowing he wasn't alone in this, he still held Grace close to him in his arms,
"Vul,"
"Its like we fell right into a horror movie and we are it's main characters,"
"Vul..,"
Hallow could hear the whispers and shifting within the shadows, what whatever it was, was getting restless,
"In order for us to leave this place, we're going to need luck ," he said,

"Eeny meeny miny mo, Catch a tiger by the toe, If he hollers let him go, Eeny meeny miny mo,"
There, thats the road we will take,
cautiously they proceeded, with a lump in his throat, to the hall towards the left.


[Stats.]

[Fireray]

Fireray: Mmm, I’ll let it slide this time, but try to fix up your next reply. You’ve got some spelling mistakes that could be easily fixed if you just re-read your reply or if you type up your response in a word processor before posting it.

Having lost sight of your Cyndaquil and with only a little girl’s voice to guide you, you call back to her, hoping for some answers and already regretting your decision to come here. In return, she tells you, “This way; over here!” and this time you can tell that her voice is coming from deeper inside the train. “I dunno where your Pokemon is, but the fire’s already blocked off the exit. If you don’t hurry, it’s going to get you, too!”

You hesitate, still not sure whether you can trust the little girl, but something suddenly runs intothe backs of your legs, making you stumble. You look down and see an Eevee, shaking its head to clear it, before it leaps back up to its feet and runs on, obviously panicked. Suddenly, the sounds of panicking people and Pokemon bombard your ears and you find yourself looking into a compartment full of other trainers, all hurrying in the same direction you’d heard the little girl’s voice. Outside, the sky is now a bright blue and you catch glimpses of colorful flags and tents, along with crowds of people. Behind you, the crackling gets louder and you realize the carriage is empty, the one ahead quickly becoming as abandoned as yours. You think you might have seen someone pick up a small Pokemon in the crowd ahead of you, a glimpse of beige and navy giving you a suspicion as to who it might be.

What will you do?

'Why the fire? Why did I come here I knew it was obvious that something like this would happen.",Fireray thought to himself. The girl interrupted his thought:"This way; over here! I dunno where your Pokemon is, but the fire’s already blocked off the exit. If you don’t hurry, it’s going to get you, too!”

'Where is the girl? Can't be inside the train, can she'? Fireray thought while scrambling to to small girls voice. A Fireray got frightened again and thought is was a ghost but saw an Eevee also trapped in the Fireray. Fireray nearly wanted to pick it up and catch it but saw it was already running again. 'So many trainers here with he having to same fate as I am having now'. Fireray thought.
The blue sky could barely calm him and all those colours of the tents. Fireray could only think about his own survival. Everyone was running out and so was Fireray panicking where his Cyndaquil could be. Only glimpse of beige and navy calmed Fieray a bit now knowing that his friend was with a different trainer. Fireray ran after the person who had his Pokemon:"Wait. That's my Pokemon." Fireray shouted to the person coughing a bit and hoping that he is now outside.

[ApertureScience]

Tyoyo3131: Alright. I’ll keep that in mind. Also, please bold the attack name next time.
The depressed moth making for a terrible watch guard, you find yourself having to point out the existence of another set of footsteps before he does anything, but it’s unclear whether he completely thought out his next move, as he unleashes a Blizzard within the circular confines of the helter-skelter. As you rush up the stairs with the Dustox speeding ahead of you, the blizzard ends up following the curve of the attraction to come back and buffet you, quickly dropping the temperature to chilling levels. At least you aren’t the only one to suffer from the whirling ice crystals now speeding along, as a screech sounds out behind you; looks like that Blizzard did its job then.

A moment later, you burst out of the spinning wind and ice, finding the outside air much warmer and more soothing to your skin, though the atmosphere hasn’t changed a bit. Severus floats ahead of you, having come out of the storm quicker than you, and you can tell he’s a little sheepish. You glance back down the stairs as the Blizzard blows itself out, a Misdreavus coming into view as the wind and ice settles. The Ghost Pokemon glares at you and Severus, angry that you’d ruined its fun, before fading into invisibility. As you turn towards the top of the slide, you are satisfied to find no second pair of footsteps trail behind yours.

Next to the top of the slide, a pile of empty sacks sits drearily on top of several black mats, all looking like they were pushed to the side in preparation for the next day’s crowd, only to be forgotten. A glance down the slide shows that it’d probably be a rough, and probably uncomfortable, ride if you slide down without anything between you and the attraction’s surface. Something that may be an unsettled feeling niggles at the back of your mind as you look down the slide.

What will you do?

Sprinting up the steps, I saw the mass of white snow and crystals from the corner of my eye, Severus’ Blizzard attack that would be. It happened to be spreading around the entire tower, including us. Well done Severus, very well done. I tooking some of the blizzard, making the sweat drops on my arm turn to beautiful ice crystals, while chilling my body. I also heard a shriek from behind us, most likely from the poltergeist that had been taunting us. Satisfied with the attack, but not with the cold, I pushed onwards through the miniature storm out onto the top of the tower. It was warmer outside, but the sense of terror still resided nearby.

Glancing around again, I saw Severus, looking sad as ever with a hint of embarrassment. I didn’t say anything quite yet, but I still glanced back at the whirlwind within the tower. As it began to subdue, I saw our mischief maker- A Misdreavus that didn’t look too happy at all. Most likely because we ruined it’s little game. “S-Sorry about that madam, or are you a boy or, uhhh…” I said, panicked. The Misdreaveus disappeared, and I feared that this wasn’t the last time I would be seeing her. Or him. I still wasn’t quite sure on that. I tried pushing the encounter away from my mind and focusing on something else, like the slide. There were a few sacks next to it, and I could go down the slide if I wanted to. Why not? I asked myself mentally, and grabbed a sack. “You can either fly down with me, just land on my shoulder, or return to your pokéball.” I asked Severus, and he popped back into his pokéball for the moment. I grabbed his pokeball from my belt and kept it in my hand, as I knew I would need his help again. I set the sack down, sat on top of it, and pushed off down the slide, ready to be ambushed by the Misdreavus once again.